Worth Fighting For
by Narry95
Summary: Here is the replacement story for Strikeforce. ***UPDATE***: Sorry for the long wait! Chapter 4 is finally up :) Chapter 5 will be posted up shortly :)
1. OC Requesting

Ladies and Gentlemen, if you haven't noticed, my story Strikeforce Academy High is no more, but don't fret. A new story is here to make a comeback for the loss of that story! Yup, you've guessed it: Worth Fighting For.

Once again, I am accepting OC characters, and users are not limited to only 1 OC! Yay! Not to mention the OC characters can be part of the DW family too! Another Yay! (Though I say this, please don't make too many OC characters lol)

***Here is a quick summary of what the story will be about:

The story revolves around Danina (Dani) Riyeuo, who ends up back in time after nearly escaping death. There she meets new friends, enemies, and goes through one hell of a time there, from betrayals, schemes, investigations, fights, and punishments to falling in love. At least she isn't alone. She is backed up by her friends whom she learns to trust completely.***

As for the all the OC characters (except a few):

The OC characters live in different villages. Once they turn 14, they can head to the capital to work. They will be living in the same house but splitting into 2 groups, each mentored by whom they call "Master" who serves as their guardian. They all start off with the same job and can make their way up. They live off a code: One gets in trouble, all gets in trouble. They must learn to get along, because many people do not like "newbies" who work there. Even though they may get into fights with each other, hate each other's guts, and get in trouble together, at the end of the day, they are the only ones who will be their friends.

***You can make bad guys as OC characters as well. I need villains! Lol***

Interested? Keep reading. If not, you can stop reading from this point and down.

I will try to shorten this up as much as I can. For those who want a character in my story, you can write me a review, or PM me their name, age, height, looks, personality, and how you would like our characters to meet. If you are not sure how, I can make it up as well. If you are writing a review, please use your account so I can pm you if anything switches. If you are using a guest account, that is fine too, but if anything were to change, I won't be able to contact you. Please be aware of that.

Anyways, here is the list of OC characters that will be put into the story, along with their descriptions (except villains, they will be a surprise):

Danina (Dani) Riyeuo – 14, 5'0, smaller waist with a bigger curvy waist, hip, and legs, left eye is blue, right eye is hazel (brown in dark places, green in light places), thick, volumous, messy and wavy shoulder length blueish grey bob hair, inner hair on the bottom middle has a black highlight, left bangs have more hair than the right and ombre with red, right side of hair by ear has a purple highlight, nicely defined mid-thick black brows that arch a bit upwards, long curled eyelashes, full, juicy, luscious lips, slightly tanned with a lighter skin complexion, wears blue and lavender braces, and has 2 cute dimples.

Xiaolong Taoren – 15, 5'4, heart shaped face, brown curly knee length hair with messy bangs framing her face, hair looks to be worn down, but in a very thick braid held with a black ribbon, blue eyes and slightly tanned skin.

Zhu Zhou – 16, 5'6, messy, yet smooth shoulder length black hair tied into a low ponytail, bangs frame around face except a few strands with dark green highlights covering the right side of his face close to his right eye, narrow chestnut brown eyes, lean, slender, broad shoulders, slightly longer arms and legs, milky white skin tone, inverted triangular face, connected ear lobe, thin lips, and round nose.

Marc Rodia – 16, 5'10, Short, messy, dark brown hair, mid-thick eyebrows, dark brown eyes, light-tan skin, small mouth, clean face with small cheek, a defined jawline, has a naturally stern but expressionless face, toned, muscular body, other pieces of clothing are a slightly dirty grey gi, black belt, black fighting gloves and a black ribbon he wears around his forehead always.

Mao Jin – 14, 5'8, incredibly long, flowing auburn brown hair that extends quarter-way down the back and masks his large forehead before parting into two, his eyes roughly match the color of his hair and often stray away from eye contact, though he is not overly muscular, his physique is leaned, athletic, and always ready to move, mostly likely be seen wearing a variety of casual training outfits during the day with a preference for under-dressing rather than over-dressing when given the choice.

Lu Xing – 16, 5'4, dark long brown hair that falls down to waist that is always up in high ponytail with a red ribbon, dark brown eyes and light tan skin.

Sun Wukong – 16, 5'9, has a well-developed figure, slightly tanned skin, teal left eye and brown right eye, fairly short black hair which becomes light blue at the tips, wears a white headband in her hair and her side ponytail is tied with a light lavender ribbon.

Sima Feng – 15, 5'6, caramel colored hair that is usually up in a messy bun, azure eyes, wears an emerald necklace from her mother, warm beige skin color, oval shaped face.

Xue Han – 16, 6'0, very handsome, brownish green hair, has an ear piercing shaped like a lightning and a regular ear piercing (both on his left ear.), usually wears his night time outfit which is a dark blue long sleeved shirt that reaches his knees.

Huo Hundan – 17, 5'10, has fair skin complexion, a muscular build, a handsome face, blue eyes and dark blue hair that is combed back.

Bell Saphir – 16, 5'6, slim but slightly muscular, has a fair skin complexion, forest green eyes, black hair styled into an Afro, wears flashy clothes, he wears sunglasses, a black glove on his left hand and wears black platform shoes.

Xiaolong Mao – 17, 5'7, has long brown hair with a thin lavender across the top, knotted with a bow on both sides of her head, light green eyes, slightly pale skin, and a slender figure.

Guo Ren – 14, 5'2, a fair skinned girl, long brown hair tied with a red ribbon in a side ponytail, has dark blue eyes, a well-developed body, and often covers her face in a white mask reminiscent of Hanya.

Chen Da Hua – 16, 5'5, long straight black hair extending to her waist, light brown eyes, beautiful eyes, cherry pink lips, light pink blush on cheeks, soft white flawless skin, and straight black brows.

Qri Zi Ya – 17, 6'3, black quiff styled hair with a blue zig zag across the left side of his hair, extremely handsome face, very muscular build to the point where his veins pop out of his skin, 6 pack man, clean, freshly shaven face, thick black brows, intimidating dark brown eyes, swagged up in fashion, left ear has 3 diamond piercings, and right ear has 2 diamond piercings.

Rui Ji Min – 17, 6'0, pretty boy, caramel colored mohawk, light green eyes, gorgeous face, slight sideburns, muscular body, 2 ear piercings on each ear, and usually shirtless.

Zhen Xiah – 17, 5'11, brown undercut hair, brown eyes, handsomely cute, muscular (though not as much as Zi Ya), lightly tanned skin, and left dimple.

Cong Yui Da – 17, 6'0, low fade black hair, mid-thick eyebrows, muscular, handsome, 2 dimples, light skin complexion with a scar on his arm.

Tan Hu Xi – 16, 5'4, wavy light brown waist length hair, light brown eyes, 2 dimples, tan skin complexion, and slanted bangs towards the right.

Xiahou Li – 16, 5'5, very cute boy, 2 big dimples, short black messy hair (like Xiahou Ba's hair), slender figure, and light skin.

Yue Jun Jie – 17, 5'9, slightly muscular, small sideburns, black hair up to his shoulders tied back to a low ponytail, brown eyes, tan skin, right dimple, and thick brows.

Zhong Kai – 16, 5'7, brown hair up to his neck tied back into a low ponytail, gorgeous hazel eyes, handsome, 2 dimples, light skin, and mid thick brows.

Lu Xifeng – 20, 5'6, long dark brown hair that reaches to the back with a red head band and bangs on her side of her hair (front), light tan skin light brown eyes, usually wearing a white A top shirt with short red jacket and matching skirt with shallow tails and white tights that reach to the ankle with pair red shoes.

Song Jian Dian – 16, 5'9, light brown hair, hazel eyes, low rise ponytail up to his shoulders, messy bangs covering his forehead, cute, 2 dimples, mid-thick brows, and full lips.

Biyu – 16, 5'4, shoulder length black hair that is tied loosely, wears large fitting clothes, and blue eyes.

Xiahou Yixing – 15, 5'8, messy short hair, tangerine eyes, light tan skin, and has a diamond shaped face.

Chen Changming – 16, 5'7, mysterious smile, mint colored eyes, square shaped face, dark green scruffy hair, handsome, freckled face.

Xiahou Jiayi – 22, 6'0, side swept walnut colored hair, tangerine colored eyes, light tan skin, wears red lipstick, slender figure, and diamond shaped face.

Zhao Ying Jie – 16, 5'9, handsome, light brown shoulder length hair tied into a low ponytail, pushed back bangs, hazel eyes, slightly tan skin, dark, thick brows, muscular build, intimidating eyes, and juicy, full lips.

*** As OC's are given to me, they will appear on this page as well.***

*** Now for the Dynasty Warriors Characters and their Jobs.***

Zhao Yun – Outer Palace Guard

Guan Yu – Lead Outer Palace Guard

Zhang Fei – Outer Palace Guard

Zhuge Liang – Prime Minister

Liu Bei - Minister

Ma Chao – Inner Palace Guard

Huang Zhong – Imperial Guard

Jiang Wei – Outer Palace Guard

Wei Yan – Prison Guard

Pang Tong – Inner Palace Guard

Yue Ying – Lead Market Maiden

Guan Ping – Watch Guard

Zhang Xing Cai – Palace Maiden

Liu Shan – Palace Servant

Ma Dai – Inner Palace Guard

Guan Suo – Watch Guard

Bao Sanniang – Palace Maiden

Xu Shu - Minister

Zhang Bao – Watch Guard

Guan Xing – Watch Guard

Guan Yinping – Kitchen Maiden

Fa Zheng - Minister

Zhou Cang – Prison Guard

Xiahou Dun – Lead Prison Guard

Dian Wei – Lead Watch Guard

Xu Zhu – Prison Guard

Cao Cao - Minister

Xiahou Yuan – Prison Guard

Zhang Liao – Share House Master

Xu Huang – Lead Palace Guard

Zhang He – Food carrier Servant

Zhen Ji – Kitchen Maiden

Cao Ren – Imperial Guard

Cao Pi – Inner Palace Guard

Pang De – Imperial Guard

Cai Wenji – Personal Maiden

Jia Xu - Minister

Wang Yi – Palace Maiden

Guo Jia – Outer Palace Guard

Yue Jin – Watch Guard

Li Dian – Watch Guard

Yu Jin – Imperial Bodyguard

Xun Yu – Outer Palace Guard

Zhou Yu – Inner Palace Guard

Lu Xun – Watch Guard

Taishi Ci – Prison Guard

Sun Shang Xiang – Kitchen Maiden

Sun Jian - Minister

Sun Quan – Inner Palace Guard

Lu Meng – Guard Trainer

Gan Ning – Watch Guard

Huang Gai – Imperial Guard

Sun Ce – Inner Palace Guard

Qiao Da – Kitchen Maiden

Qiao Xiao – Food Carrier Maiden

Zhou Tai – Prison Guard

Ling Tong – Watch Guard

Ding Feng – Imperial Guard

Lian Shi – Kitchen Maiden

Lu Su - Minister

Han Dang – Prison Guard

Zhu Ran – Watch Guard

Cheng Pu - Minister

Sima Yi - Minister

Sima Shi – Outer Palace Guard

Sima Zhao – Inner Palace Guard

Deng Ai – Lead Inner Palace Guard

Wang Yuanji – Palace Maiden

Zhong Hui – Inner Palace Guard

Zhuge Dan – Watch Guard

Xiahou Ba – Outer Palace Guard

Guo Huai - Minister

Jia Chong – Imperial Guard

Wen Yang – Outer Palace Guard

Zhang Chunhua – Lead Palace Maiden

Diao Chan – Lead Food Server Maiden

Lu Bu – Share House Master

Dong Zhuo – Minister

Yuan Shao – Minister

Zhang Jiao – Minister

Meng Huo – Prosecutor

Zhu Rong – Lead Kitchen Maiden

Zuo Ci - Minister

Chen Gong - Minister

Lu LingQi – Palace Maiden

Any questions feel free to PM me anytime. I will ALWAYS answer back to my messages 😊


	2. Prologue

Danina Riyeuo was running, her heart pounding and the sound of her feet tapping the soil from the forest echoing through her ears as well as her breath inhaling, then exhaling. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion.

She had a smaller waist with a bigger, curvy waist, hip, and legs. Her left eye is blue while her right eye is hazel, brown in dark places and green in light places. Danina has thick, volumous, messy and wavy shoulder length blueish grey bob hair. Her inner hair on the bottom middle has a black highlight and her left bangs have more hair than the right that is ombred with red. Her right side of the hair by ear has a purple highlight. She has nicely defined mid-thick black brows that arch a bit upwards, long curled eyelashes, and fuller luscious lips. Danina is slightly tanned with a lighter skin complexion, wears blue and lavender braces, and has 2 cute dimples.

She's not alone though. Sounds of other feet's tapping the soil followed her. _Oh crap! At this rate, I'm dead for sure! Come on, Danina! You can do this. You can get away from them!_ She panted hard as she passed through the trees and closer into the darkness.

She was headed towards the horizon. The woods were dark, only the sky brought light inside. Danina hid behind the giant tree, trying to catch her breath. She scanned her surroundings for her perpetrators, but it was too dark to see anything moving. She stood still, trying not to make a single sudden movement.

"Come on, baby Dani! Don't run away from me! I thought we were closer than that!" yelled Mako, the man she thought she loved. She closed her eyes and placed her left hand on her heart, making a fist. Her heart throbbed with pain and despair, as she struggled not to let her eyes shed tears.

Mako had light skin complexion. He had quiff styled brown hair that looked fantastic on him and his brown eyes were gorgeous. His clean face was handsome and his muscular build could sweep any girl off their feet.

She remembered it just like it was yesterday when they met…

4 year old Danina was playing with the woodchips, making a small woodchip patty when some little kids came and kicked her 4 patties she worked hard on. Her brows furrowed and her smile frowned.

"Hey! That's not very nice to do that!" Danina yelled, but the kids laughed at her.

"You have a boy's name! You have a boy's name! Your mommy and daddy don't love you, that's why they gave you a boy name!" kids chanted, circling her. Tears formed in her eyes and words choked in her mouth. Her breathing became short and quick.

"Stop it!" Danina said quietly, her voice shaky and broken. The world seemed to be spinning nonstop. The kids pointed their index finger at her and laughed.

"Cry baby! Cry baby! Dani's a cry baby!" they continued. Danina covered her ears and began crying to herself softly, the thought that those kids were being mean to her hurt her feelings. Her eyes were shut tight because she didn't want to see those bullies. The only thing she could hear was her heart thumping fast.

"Hey! Leave her alone you bunch of bullies! Want me to kick your butt? Scram!" a voice said from above. She heard a bunch of footsteps running off but she didn't open her eyes. Tears continued rolling her eyes.

It was then that she felt a small size hand wipe her tears away. She gasped at the feeling, and slowly opened her eyes.

There stood a little 8 year old boy with brown hair up to his neck. His eyes were brown and he was tall for a kid.

He reached out his right hand for her to take. Danina was a little hesitant at first, not knowing if he was really a friend or foe. The young boy let out a warm smile, letting her know he was not there to harm her

"It's alright, I won't hurt you," he told her. His words gave her a sense of security and she slowly gave her hand to him. He helped her up and she was barely over his waist in height. He smiled and patted her head. "I'm Mako. What's your name?"

"Dani…," she managed to reply, wiping away the last of her tears. Mako put his left arm around her shoulders.

"You shouldn't let those bullies have their way with you. It's alright, I'll teach you to stand up for yourself and show those bullies what's in store for them. Then they will realize what a mistake they made picking on us!" Mako told her, holding a fist in his right hand. Danina nodded her head. She wanted them to stop picking on her as well…

*Whistle*

"Dani, come out, come out wherever you are! Don't make this any harder than it already is," Mako said, making Danina snap out of thinking. She wanted to run, but they seemed too close for her to make a run for it.

It was quiet, just the sound of her enemy's footsteps approaching. She looked down and saw a tree branch. She quickly picked it up and got ready to smack anyone who came close.

She held her breath when the first man approached. He didn't see her, or at least she thinks he didn't see. He sharp turned to her, and before he could say anything, Danina smacks him right on the head hard and knocks him out unconscious.

"Oof!" he managed to utter, before falling and knocking out.

"There she is!" shouted another man, flashing her with his flashlight. Danina threw the stick at the man and it hit him on the stomach. He dropped his gun and fell on his knees with his arms wrapped around his stomach. She began running off once again, deeper into the woods.

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

The fourth shot hit her right arm and the pain spread throughout her body. She continued running, despite her injury. Tears formed in her eyes again, but she refused to let it out. _I can't cry, not over this. I can escape. I can do it again._

"Get her! do not let her escape! We must bring her back, dead or alive!" Mako shouted, running after Danina. His words throbbed through her heart. It hurt more than the gunshot wound hearing him say such words, after everything they have been through.

He betrayed her. He betrayed her trust, her heart, her soul. She thought they were stronger than that. Now the one paying the price is her and he is helping them getting rid of her. Never could she ever imagine that one day they would end up like this.

She could no longer keep it contained. Tears ran down Danina's face as she ran, her life hanging by a mere thread. As she ran, she tripped on a log and fell, her right arm hitting the ground first. Pain buzzed throughout her arm, the pain almost too much to bear. She uttered a painful cry.

"Shit!" Danina said, quickly getting back up.

When she did, one of her enemies grabbed her from behind her neck, choking. She used her hands to hold his hand, trying to make him let go. He gripped on her tight, trying to suffocate her. Another man tried to grab her legs. She used her left leg and kicked him away from her and he fell. She elbowed the man on his ribcage from behind. He let go of her and she turned to him. Danina punched his face, right, left, then right again. She finished it with an uppercut under his chin and he fell.

*Bang* *Bang*

The bullets skidded her body. She ducked and began running once again. Her vision began to blur from too much blood loss. No matter the situation, she continued running.

Danina reached the other side. She ran to the end but it was a dead end. Danina quickly stopped, her feet kicking a little bit of tiny rocks down the cliff. She looked down, seeing the current washing the waters harshly. She turned back to try and run a different direction, but Mako and his men caught up to her, blocking the way back into the woods, forcing her to stop running.

"Fuck!" Danina said quietly. They all aimed their guns at her. She had no choice but to put both hands in the air. Her brows were arched down and she had a mad face. Mako chucked and walked forward towards her and she backed up slowly.

"Well, I never thought I would successfully catch you, babe," Mako began as Danina interrupted him.

"Don't call me that! I belong to nobody," she replied. Mako laughed like her comment was meant to be funny.

"See, that's where you're wrong, Dani. You are mine, or at least you did. You still do. Technically we never broke up. You ran away from us, from me. You brought this upon yourself, Dani honey," Mako said to Danina. She was breathing hard, still catching her breath.

Mako takes out his pistol and shoots her left thigh twice. She fell and uttered out a painful scream. He walked towards her, no remorse in his eyes.

Danina wondered if he ever loved her like he said he did. Tears ran down her face as she thought about their days of being in love…

Mako was walking, sneaking upon Danina, who was waiting for him. He told her to wait for him so she did. He covered her eyes and she flinched a bit, startled by the sudden movement. Danina slowly moved his hands and turned to him, smiling.

"I knew it was you, Mako," Danina told Mako, and he hugged her with the both of his hands. Danina hugged him back as well.

"I got you a little something. It's not the best but it's better than nothing," Mako whispered in her ear. Danina loved that he spoiled her, always giving her small gifts that were special. She smiled and blushed, butterflies flying over her tummy.

Mako was her best friend since she was 4, she is 13 now.

"You didn't have to, you know," she told him and he smiled handsomely. Mako stopped hugging her and reached into his pocket. He took out a diamond necklace with a pearl in the middle. Danina was in awe.

"For you, my Dani. I want you to know that I will always love you no matter that. I promise to stand by you, even when times are tough for us. We'll be together always," Mako said, and then laughed, "Man, that was so cheesy." Danina laughed and shook her head.

"No, no, it was so sweet of you, Mako. I am truly the happiest girl when you're with me. I promise to cherish your gift forever," Danina replied to him. Mako put the necklace on her and he leaned down to kiss her, closing his eyes. She closed her eyes and tip toed to kiss him back. Their lips touched softly and he slowly pulled her closer to him. Danina hugged his back as well. Everything was picture perfect then…

"I… Hate you, Mako. You betrayed me," Danina told Mako, tears running down her eyes. Every time she shed her tears, he always wiped it but now even he didn't wipe them away. Mako watched her tears fall down her precious face.

"Well, everyone's got a tragic story to tell. I'll be sure to tell everyone the tale of how I, Mako, was forced to pursue the love of my life because she betrayed us," Mako replied to her, "Well, I guess this is the final goodbye, Dani. Any last words before our story officially ends?"

"Yeah, there's something I must say to you," Danina replied to him. She couldn't give him the satisfaction of killing her. The sound of the current filled her ears. Mako leaned in closer to hear her.

Danina used her right leg and kicked him as hard as she could on his nuts. Mako yelled out in pain, falling and being in a lot of pain. Danina backward somersaulted and landed on her feet. Her left thigh was consumed with pain but she paid no mind.

"See you on the other side," Danina said, and ran towards the end of the cliff as fast as her legs could run.

"Get her! Do not let her jump!" Mako yelled, as his men ran after her.

They shot multiple bullets at her but she dodged them and a few skidded past her. Danina ran and jumped off the cliff, falling fast down into the river. She closed her eyes and embraced herself. She was ready to die. It was better to die than to live her life.

*Splash*

She fell inside the water and sunk deep down. Danina didn't feel like she was drowning though. She felt a sense of peace and purity. She managed to open her eyes and all she could see was darkness swarming over her body as if it were alive. Then a bright light appeared before her, getting brighter and brighter until she had to close her eyes. It was then that everything became dark again…


	3. Chapter 1 Starting Over New

Ling Ren Shu and Zhang Lien Hua were gardening their vegetables by the nearby river. They have been gardening for hours. It was hard work, but as the saying goes, hard work pays off.

Lien Hua stood 5 foot and 2 inches. She had her grey hair into a low-rise bun. Her face had wrinkles and she had almond shaped brown eyes. Ren Shu was 5'4. He has wrinkles on his face due to old age. His hair was fully grey and tied into a neat man bun. He has light brown eyes and his back is a little hunched.

Their garden was filled with fresh cabbage, daikon, cotton, and wheat. It is just about ready to be taken and made into food and clothing.

"Whew, Lien Hua dear, let us take a rest. Can you go get some water? I will go get the food," Ren Shu told his dearly beloved wife, wiping his sweat.

"Alright then," she replied.

They went the opposite direction from each other. Lien Hua got their cups and headed down the river. When she reached there, she began filling the cups with water.

Up ahead, a woman's body began floating up nearby. Her physique seemed to be petite, and she was faced down. She was wearing some kind of shirt with sleeves that were tight around her arm that had rips. Her bottom looked to be a pant tight around her legs, and she wore the strangest shoes extending just above her ankles.

What mesmerized Lien Hua was not her strange outfit, but her hair. It looked to be blue, but also grey. It was a beautiful combination. Lien Hua almost thought she was a mythical creature called mermaid.

Once she realized what she was thinking, she remembered it was a woman, and she did not know if the woman was dead or alive. She panicked and turned back towards their garden.

"Ren Shu! Ren Shu! Come quick!" Lien Hua yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping her husband would hear her.

Ren Shu came running down to the water to see what was wrong. He went to Lien Hua, holding her.

"What is the matter, my dear?" he asked and she pointed straight.

"There. A woman is floating right there. We have to take her out," his wife replied. He turned and saw the woman. Ren Shu went into the water. The waters reached his waist and he pulled the woman's body. He took her out and with the help of Lien Hua, they placed her on the ground gently. Her hair covered most of her face. Ren Shu checked for a pulse. To his surprise, she still had a pulse.

"Fear not, Lien Hua. She is still alive," Ren Shu assured. He moved the woman's hair aside. To their surprise, she was very young, and odd looking.

The young woman had nicely defined mid-thick black brows that arch a bit upwards, long eyelashes, full luscious lips, and slightly tanned with a lighter skin complexion.

"Where in China did she come from? I have never seen a Chinese girl like her before. Do you think she is Chinese?" Lien Hua asked. Ren Shu was not sure himself, but he knew they should check if she is wounded.

"I do not know myself. Let's check for wounds in case she is hurt," Ren Shu told his wife, and they took her to their tiny resting area. They undressed the young woman to be in her under garments. She had a hole in her right arm and two in her left thigh. It seemed she had been bleeding, but for now it has subsided. They have never seen that kind of wound before.

When Ren Shu touched her right arm hole, the young woman's eyes flashed open and she let out a painful scream, causing them to flinch. Ren Shu stopped touching her wound. The both of them hugged each other in fear.

Her eyes were different colors. She had a blue left eye, and hazel right eye. She wore some kind of metal across her teeth with small lavender and blue square shapes on each tooth.

After yelling out in pain, the young woman fell unconscious again. They knew her holes must be deadly wounds and needed to be treated.

"Come on, Lien Hua. We should take her and treat her wounds," Ren Shu suggested, and his wife couldn't agree more. Their village was a ten minute walk from their garden. Lien Hua grabbed their belongings and Ren Shu gave the young woman a piggyback ride back to their home…

3 days later…

"Mmm…," I groaned, feeling conscious again. My entire body was in pain. I slowly opened my eyes and I saw a wooden rooftop. _Where am I? Am I dead? Is this how heaven or hell looks like?_ I slowly sat up in the bed I was in, my body trembling in pain.

"You're finally awake, dear. How are you feeling?" a voice spoke to me. It caught me by surprise. I turned over to the direction the voice came from. It was an elderly lady. She was sitting down on a small circular chair, sewing what seemed to be a silky peach colored dress.

She had grey hair made into a low-rise bun. Her face had wrinkles and she had almond shaped brown eyes.

"I… Feel alright," I managed to say, despite the pain I feel. There were lots of questions in my head that I wanted to ask, but it seemed to be rude to do so. "How am I here? Am I dead?" The elderly lady chuckled.

"Of course not, silly. You're in my home. My husband and I saved you. Tell me, child, what is your name? Where are you from?" she replied. I thought about where I was from. I slowly remembered recent events that led to where I am now.

"In that case, thank you for helping me. I am Dani. Danina Riyeuo. I'm from California of the United States. Where am I? Who are you?" I asked. She looked a little lost.

"I have never heard of that before. I am Zhang Lien Hua and you are in my house. We are in China, honey," Lien Hua told me. My eyes widened with shock. _China?! How the hell did I end up here? What is going on?_

"China? How am I in China?" I asked.

"I do not know. I was just about to ask you the same thing. Ren Shu and I found you in the river and took you in. That was 3 days ago," Lien Hua explained. I was really confused. I was still in California when Mako and his minions chased me down.

"I've been out for three days?!... May I ask what today's date is?" I asked, hoping it would be June 18th. I needed to know if I was going insane or not.

"It is October 10, sweetie. Year 204," Lien Hua explained, and my eyes widened even more. I have officially gone insane.

"What?! No, no. Today is June 18 in the year 2017. It can't possibly be the year 204. What is going on here?" I asked, not knowing the difference between fantasy and reality anymore. Lien Hua seemed confused as well.

"Ren Shu! Come here!" Lien Hua called out. Soon, an elderly man came inside. "She is awake, and I think there is something wrong. Dani here says it's the year 2017." The elderly man Ren Shu looked confused as well. He turned to me.

Ren Shu had wrinkles on his face due to old age. His hair was fully grey tied into a neat man bun. He had light brown eyes and his back was a little hunched.

"Honey, it's the year 204, not 2017. I don't know why you think we're that far into the future, but it really isn't 2017," Ren Shu backed Lien Hua up.

"What? But… I really am from that year! I'm not crazy! I know that I really am from the year 2017. It's not like I can time travel into the past," I replied. _Am I really in that year or is this some kind of dream I'm having?_ Ren Shu placed his hand to his chin. We were quiet for a few minutes, the sound of silence ringing in my ears.

"Hmm… I have heard some cases where people have unknowingly traveled back in time or into the future… But I have heard that those people were in a life threatening situation and embraced death instead of being afraid. That's what triggered their time travel. Tell me, Dani, were you in that kind of situation?" Ren Shu asked. Once again, my eyes widened. _Is it really possible for that to happen? How could he have known? It's just like my situation here._

"I was… Do you… Really think it's possible?" I asked. He nodded his head.

"That is the only option we have here, isn't it? Us being in the year 204 and you saying you're from 2017. Not to mention you were in a life and death situation. What was the situation? Or you know, you don't have to tell us anything. We all have a past, whether good or bad," Ren Shu said. I thought about Mako and what he did, making my heart ache.

"I was betrayed and wanted dead or alive," I told them. I didn't want to give vivid details of what exactly happened. _So I actually time traveled into ancient China? This definitely feels and seems like some kind of movie and I am the protagonist._

"I am sorry to hear that, dear. Do not worry, you are safe here," Ren Shu assured me. I said nothing. _Would I really be safe here?_

"Alright, here. I made a simple dress for you. A young woman should not be wearing men's clothing," Lien Hua told me, breaking my thoughts. I looked at myself and realized I was in my under garments only. I gasped and covered myself.

"Where's my clothes?!" I asked, feeling embarrassed. Lien Hua handed me her dress she made. I honestly feel uncomfortable in dresses. I took it and examined it. It was soft and thin. Although beautiful, it wasn't in my nature to wear dresses. I hesitated in wearing the dress and turned to Lien Hua. "Can I just wear my original clothing? I'd feel a lot more comfortable in them than dresses."

"Absolutely, dear. I don't want you forced into something you're not comfortable in. I will be right back," Lien Hua said. She and Ren Shu left the house and it was quiet again. I thought for a while. _Where do I go from here? Do I live my days stuck here or do I try to find a way back? I don't even have anything. What's gonna happen from here on out?_ Just the sound of my breathing was heard.

"Here you go, Dani," Lien Hua said, making me snap out of thinking. She gave me my clothing back, along with my shoe. I smiled and took it.

"Thank you, Lien Hua. I appreciate it. Not a lot of people were friendly to me. So, thank you for that as well," I let her know. She smiled.

"You are most certainly welcomed, dear. If you have nowhere to go, you can stay here. You can think of us as your grandma and grandpa. Feel free to call us that instead. Since you are new here, you should go explore the village but don't wander too far out. Dinner will be ready soon. Remember, our house is the one made of wood, the third house with the triangular roof," she told me. I nodded and thanked her. She smiled and left out the door, leaving me to get dressed.

I wore my purple long sleeve shirt tucked in my style ripped blue skinny jean that goes to the middle between my hip and belly. I put on my high top purple converse. The holes I had on the long sleeve were patched by Lien Hua with pink silk, neatly sewn around that one would think that it is how the shirt is originally made.

I took a few deep breaths before attempting to stand again. When I did, my legs felt weak and wobbly. I almost couldn't catch my balance. I placed my hands out horizontally, feeling like a penguin. It felt like forever when I finally maintained balance.

"God…," I say quietly. _At this rate, it's gonna take a while to walk normally again. Stupid Mako. Karma will strike you to the core._ I took a few more deep breaths, imagining how much walking will be a pain.

I took my first step using my right leg, still struggling with my balance, being consumed with pain. I slowly rose my left leg and took a small step. As soon as my foot touched the ground, a sharp pain from my thigh rose up towards my brain and back down my leg. I made a painful face. It hurt a lot. I held in my breath and took a few more steps, the pain almost unbearable reaching the door. I almost fell, but I held on to the door, my right arm hitting the right side of the door. My right arm shot an overwhelming pain throughout my arm and back. I shut my eyes tight.

"Ah!" I whimpered quietly, releasing my breath I held in. I was inhaling and exhaling fast, my heart racing at the speed of light. My left thigh was pulsing, so was my right arm. With my last breath, I proceeded to open the door.

The door swung open and light shone inside the house, forcing me to block the light with my left arm and shutting my eyes. After a while, I slowly opened my eyes and let my left hand down. My eyes adjusted to the light and I scanned my surrounding.

There were plenty of houses made of hay, only a few made of wood. The sun was out and the sky was blue with white puffy clouds. The trees with green leaves gave a good amount of shade where some people sat down and chatted with each other. The wind blew gently, and the smell of grass and soil filled the atmosphere. There were many children playing outside, and people were walking back and forth across the houses.

My whole life I have always lived in cities, but I have never seen a village in real life before. It's just like the ones in movies or stories I used to read. It was an amazing sight to behold. It seemed like everyone got along with each other.

I stepped outside, the pain hurting but I ignored it. I walked down towards the right slowly, slightly limping on my left leg. Some people turned to me and stared.

"That's her. That's the girl that Ren Shu and Lien Hua found nearly dead by the river. She is lucky to be alive," I heard a girl say to her friend.

"She is beautiful. I wonder who she is," her friend replied. I continued walking down, people staring at me as I walked past. They spoke about me, but I paid them no mind.

I reached the village market where people sold food and clothing. It smelled good and made my stomach cry for food. I knew I couldn't get any because I had no money with me. There were lots of pretty dresses, and lots of men's clothing. _This is… Very different from where I came from. It's too bad I don't have any money with me. Oh well, I've gone by without food before._ I began walking off, until I heard a voice.

"Ohh! Hundan about to get dirty!" a voice shouted, as many young people ran and created a circle. While they were running, they bumped into me and caused me to fall down on my left leg. My wounds pressed on the ground, sending agonizing pain up my skull and back down. I made a mad face.

"Ow! What the hell?!" I said angrily, but no one cared what I said….

Huo Hundan and his buddies Bell Saphir, Yue Jun Jie, Zhong Kai and Xiahou Li were really bored. Hundan wanted to pick on someone for the hell of the fun. They were sitting down on the rocks, which they claimed that was their spot.

"I'm so bored. Let's do something stupid and entertaining," Hundan told his friends. His friends agreed, except for Zhong Kai. He rolled his eyes. _Here we go again. He wants to bully someone._

Huo Hundan stands 5 feet and 10 inches. He has a fair skin complexion, a muscular build, a handsome face, blue eyes and dark blue hair that is combed back. Bell Saphir is 5 feet and 6 inches He is slim but slightly muscular, has a fair skin complexion, forest green eyes, black hair styled into an Afro, wears flashy clothes, wears sunglasses, a black glove on his left hand and wears black platform shoes. Xiahou Li is a very cute boy, standing 5 feet and 6 inches. He has 2 big dimples, short black messy hair, has a slender figure, and is light skinned. Yue Jun Jie is 5 feet 9 and is slightly muscular. He has small sideburns, black hair up to his shoulders tied back to a low ponytail, brown eyes, tan skin, right dimple, and thick brows. Zhong Kai stands 5 feet 7, has brown hair up to his neck tied back into a low ponytail, gorgeous hazel eyes, handsome, 2 dimples, light skin, and mid thick brows.

"Alrighty, let me start it off," said Saphir, standing on the rock, getting ready to jump down. He scanned for a victim. Then, he leapt from the rock as far as he could, and pointed to a village girl he landed right in front of. It startled her and she flinched.

She has a black low rise ponytail with big, innocent brown eyes. She looked to be around 13 years old.

"Me ga mill eh mia!" he told her, his brows arched downwards. He did not smile at her. The girl gasped and held her daikon she recently bought. Saphir and the girl continued looking at each other, refusing to be the first to blink. Saphir proceeded to take his index finger he used to point at her and stuck his tongue out. He slid his finger down his tongue, down his chin and down to his right chest. "Tss!" He made the sound like someone got burned when he touched his nipple. The girl's eyes were so big and horrified. Then, Saphir bit into thin air. She flinched.

"Ahh!" she screamed, running away from Saphir. He and his friends began laughing a lot as he made his way back to his buddies.

"Oh man, you sure did creep her out!" Li cried, his tummy hurting from laughing too much. He was nearly crying. Although Zhong Kai did not like his friends picking on people, he couldn't help but laugh, because that was by far the creepiest thing Saphir has ever done. Hundan was dying with laughter. Even though he did not do it, it satisfied his boredom very much.

"What the hell is a me ga mill eh mia?" Jun Jie asked, trying not to laugh anymore. Bell Saphir thought about it.

"Honestly, I don't even know. It just popped into my head," he replied, laughing. They had a really good time laughing.

Jun Jie looked around and saw a girl walking nearby. He smiled and went to her as his friends watched.

The girl had brown hair with brown eyes. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail and she has a slender body.

Jun Jie walked up to her, stopping her in her tracks. She stopped walking and turned to him. He smiled out handsomely, then his handsome smile slowly became a creepy smile and he lowered his face, his eyes struggling to look at her. She made a disgusted face and he did too.

"Ew you creep!" he told her, making a disgusted face towards her. She made an angry face.

"You! You're the one who was making a creepy face!" she exclaimed.

"Shut up, you already have a creepy face, whether you try to make one or not!' he replied to her making a mean face to the girl. He then took her rubber band off her hair, accidentally making a few strands come off with the rubber band. "Ugh!" He shot it at her arm.

"Ow, you stupid guy! You're so annoying!" she shouted, storming off angrily. He began laughing, hearing his friends laugh too. He turned and there stood a little girl holding a doll. She was staring at him. "Hi, I'm Jun Jie, wanna play?!" He had lots of attitude in his voice. The little girl gasped and shook her head. He made a serious face. "Why not?!"

"You… Don't play nice," she said, and ran off. He began laughing again and walked back to his friends. He felt kind of bad for pulling the hair band off the girl and for scaring the little innocent child.

"That was so stupid, Jun Jie. You really scared the little girl," Kai told him. He already knew that Jun Jie felt bad for that.

"Let me have some fun too," Hundan said, wanting to pick on someone too. He was feeling very hyped up after witnessing his friends picking on people. His friends were okay with it, except for Kai. Hundan took a nice stretch, flexing his arms before standing up. His butt was beginning to hurt from sitting down on the rocks. Hundan looked left, then right, carefully scanning the villagers, checking who he should pick on.

"No, it's alright, grandma. You keep the change," he heard a girl say. He turned and saw a girl refusing to take her change. _Hmph, she thinks she is so benevolent. We'll see how she likes it getting picked on by me._

"Her… She's the perfect victim," Hundan told his friends. They all turned and saw the girl he was talking about. Hundan began making his way towards her, his friends, except for Kai, following him. They did not want to stand by and watch. They wanted to be there next to him to intimidate her more.

Xiaolong Taoren went out to buy some vegetables from an elderly lady. She was heading back home after buying them.

She stands 5 feet and 4 inches. Taoren has a heart shaped face, brown curly knee length hair with messy bangs framing her face that looks to be worn down, but in a very thick braid held with a black ribbon. She has blue eyes and slightly tanned skin.

"I hope I have everything," Taoren told herself, as she was approached by 4 guys. She turned to them and the man who seemed to be their leader gave her a slight shove.

"You must think you are so benevolent, huh? Telling that old lady to keep the change she should have given you," he told her, shoving her again. Taoren thought he had some nerves pushing her of all people. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I am Xiaolong Taoren. Now move it," she warned, trying to walk past them. She was in a rush to go back home, because she wanted to go walking. His friends blocked her path, not letting her leave. _Seriously? These guys have no idea what they're in for._ Once again, she got shoved and it was angering her. There is only so much she could hold in before she snaps.

"Or what? What are you gonna do about it?" the leader asked, pushing her once more. Taoren made an angry face and stamped her right shoe on his white shirt, making a shoeprint. His mouth opened in disbelief as he looked at his own shirt. Then he turned back to her.

"You little! You better wipe this off my shirt or else!" he demanded, but she wasn't scared of him. She crossed her arms and gave his shirt another shoeprint with her left shoe. His shirt had 2 consecutive shoeprints now and he seemed angry.

"Pathetic. You really think I'm scared of you and that your little buddies here can intimidate me?" Taoren asked. He had a mad face. "Hah! Dummies." Taoren tried to walk off, but he pulled her shirt close to him.

"You really won't?!" he warned. Taoren smiled and shook her head, her eyes closed. "Tsk! Alright! You asked for it!" Taoren opened her eyes and saw him having a fist. He was gonna hit her. _This guy… He brought this upon himself. Can't say I didn't try to warn him._

"Ohh! Hundan about to get dirty!" his friend with the afro shouted, as many young people who knew them began forming a circle around Taoren and the guy.

"Oh, come on, Hundan. Don't hit girls. That ain't right," one of his friends said.

"Shut up, Jun Jie. I'm gonna teach her a lesson for trying to step up to me," Hundan replied. He turned to the smallest one. "Don't even try to stop me, Li. She needs to be taught a lesson." Hundan turned back to Taoren with anger in her eyes.

"Well if you're done talking to your minions, can we hurry up and fight so I can go home?" Taoren asked Hundan, which pissed him off even more. Hundan got the impression that she wasn't scared of him and she was the first.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the crowd cheered.

"Gladly!" he shouted, swinging at her. Taoren ducked his attack and grabbed his nuts hard. His angry face quickly became a pained face.

Hundan was filled with pain, along with embarrassment. Everyone laughed at the sight, his friends too. While he held her shirt, she held his nuts.

"Let go!" Hundan told her, turning pink, then red. He could not believe her. She really grabbed his nuts. Taoren laughed. It was quite cute that he was red. Perhaps he was feeling a bit sensational?

You first," Taoren demanded.

"No! You first!" he replied.

"Okay, then I guess we're gonna be holding onto each other for some time. Are you okay with it?" she asked. Taoren grabbed his nuts harder and he feels like he will be pulsing down there any minute now. He didn't want to submit, but he was hurting too much.

"Okay fine!" he said, letting go of her shirt. Taoren grabbed his nuts a bit harder.

"Next time, think twice before picking on people! You're already old. It's time to get serious," Taoren said, letting go of his nuts. Li and Jun Jie pulled him back, feeling his pain as well even though they weren't really in any pain. Hundan was looking at Taoren with lots of hate.

Taoren began walking off towards home, feeling happy and supreme. No one will ever dare try to pick on her without retaliation…

I struggled to get back up and when I did, whatever that was in the center of the circle was no more. When I did, I turned and saw a girl walking my way. She had a heart shaped face, brown curly knee length hair with messy bangs framing her face that looked to be worn down, but in a thick braid held with a black ribbon. She had blue eyes and slightly tanned skin. As she approached, she noticed me looking at her.

"Wow, am I really that pretty that you can't stop gazing at me?" she asked. I snapped out of staring and blinked twice.

"Huh?" I asked, even though I heard her. She laughed and shook her head.

"Oh, nothing. I was kidding. So, did you enjoy the show of me teaching that Hundan guy or whatever his name is a lesson about picking on people?" she asked. I shook my head. I didn't even see anything.

"No…," I replied to her.

"Oh. Well if there's a next time, you might see. Anyway, I'm Xiaolong Taoren. You're super gorgeous and cute. Are you from around here? What's your name?" she told me. I smiled and chuckled a little.

"Thank you. You're gorgeous yourself. I'm Danina Riyeuo, but you can call me Dani for short. I'm not sure how to word it, but I guess you can say that I will be staying here for now. It's not like I have anywhere to go," I replied to her.

"Dani? Oh my goodness, that is so cute! Well I hope to see you around, Dani. I gotta get home and bring these veggies home," Taoren said. I nodded and she smiled. She waved goodbye to me and headed on. _Wow, she is the first girl to be nice to me. At least she's nice for now. I can't be too trusting of people around here._

"Dani, there you are!" a familiar voice said. I turned and it was Lien Hua. She walked over to me. "Dinner is ready. Come home and eat. You must be starving." Truthfully, I was hungry. Thinking about food made my stomach cry. Lien Hua laughed at the cry and I joined her as well. _Ren Shu and Lien Hua seem like such good people. I don't think they mean me any harm. Maybe I can trust them._

"Okay," I replied to her. we both began walking back to her house. She was walking on ahead, not knowing that I was limping and struggling to walk. When Lien Hua turned and saw me behind, she came back to me.

"Dani, is your leg alright?" she asked with worry. I nodded.

"It is alright, nothing big. It just hurts a little when I walk, that's all. I'll be fine," I replied to her. Deep down, I was still hurting because of everything that's happened, but I'm not at that time anymore, nor should I have to think about that anymore. I'm in a new place, a different time. My old life sucked, maybe this one doesn't have to.

"Let me help you," Lien Hua offered. She held my left arm gently and helped me walk. The pain wasn't as immense but it still hurt. She was careful though.

We walked towards the horizon, the direction where their house was. My heart ached, seeing the horizon. It reminded me of when I was pursued and what Mako did to me. Thinking about it made my eyes teary. Mako was in my past now, and there is no way he would get here. I should let go of everything that's happened and begin anew. Tears dropped down my cheeks as we continued walking.


	4. Chapter 2 Exposed

A few days later…

I was walking around the house, my left leg healing fast, but it still hurt. I still limped on my left leg, but it wasn't as bad as when I first began walking again. Carefully walking around, I stopped in my tracks and tried moving my left leg up and down, side to side, stretching it as much as possible. After doing so, I placed my left leg back down and tried to walk on it without limping. Pain rose from my left thigh, lowering down to my foot, all the way up to my brain, and back down to my thigh. It caused me to lose my balance and I fell onto the floor, my right elbow hitting the ground first, making the wound on my arm rise in pain.

"Damn!" I say to myself with disappointment in my heart. _I know my leg and arm hurts, but how long do I have to wait before it completely heals? I really hate it! Limping is a sign of weakness, and I do not like showing that I am a weak person. Never again._

I got up and tried it again. I needed my leg and arm healed up to be useful around here. I hate not being able to do anything. I walked on my left leg again without limping. Once again, I toppled onto the floor, the pain hurting too much. I take a few breaths, inhaling, then exhaling. One more time I tried walking with my left leg but I fell. My face began growing hot and my heart began beating angrily. Again and again, I desperately tried walking with my left leg but it was always unsuccessful.

"Come on, Dani. You can do this," I told myself, getting up once more. With one final try, I walk with my left leg. I reach halfway and the most hurtful pain wrapped my entire body, causing me to fall and this time, the wound on my right arm hit the ground first, terrorizing me with such pain. I uttered a small whimper, trying not to be loud before Lien Hua and Ren Shu come running inside with a panic attack. Tears filled my eyes and rolled down my face. _I'm a failure. I'm too weak. Will I ever be able to walk normal again? Will I ever heal?_

The door opened and in came Lien Hua from hanging her and Ren Shu's clothing, along with the clothing she sewed for me.

Recently, she asked to see my skinny jean and measured it onto cottons made into strings. She also did that for my long sleeve. With measurements made, she sewed clothes for me. It ranged from skinny jeans, shorts, under garments, socks, long sleeves, short sleeves, teen tops, halter tops, and more.

"Dani, what happened?" she asked, rushing over to my side. I wiped my tears away and sat back up. She gave me a comforting hug and stroked my hair gently.

"I… I'm never gonna walk normal again, am I?" I asked, trying not to cry. She gave out a warm smile.

"Don't worry. You will walk normal again. You just need to rest your leg. Have patience, dear. Don't force yourself to walk normal," she told me. _She's right. I must be patient and with time, I'll be able to walk again._ I closed my eyes and inhaled before exhaling with my mouth.

"You're right… I'm just thinking too much," I replied. Lien Hua helped me back up and she helped me go outside.

Ren Shu was stocking up more wood against the right side of their house. He turned to us when we came close and smiled brightly.

"Well good morning, Dani. Did you sleep well?" he questioned. I gave out the same bright smile and nodded. _It wasn't exactly a good morning, but as far as sleeping goes, it was very peaceful. I've been on the run for quite a while, I haven't had a good rest._

"I did. I haven't slept that good in a long time," I replied and he chuckled. Lien Hua let go of my left arm and began helping Ren Shu stock up the woods he finished chopping up. _I should help them out as well since they're always helping me._ I limp walked and grabbed a few of them to help them out, but Ren Shu quickly took the wood pieces from me.

"Oh, no Dani. It's okay, your grandma and I got it. You rest up as much as you can," Ren Shu told me, but I shook my head.

"I'm already well rested. This is all I can really do right now, since my leg is still limped. It's no bother, really. I'll be careful," I replied. Despite their complaints, I still helped them anyways. It took a short while to finish up.

"Thank you, dear. You are too kind and nice," Lien Hua thanked. I smiled. _It's the first time anyone has ever appreciated what I do._

"Okay, Dani, your grandma and I will be heading to our garden," Ren Shu said.

"I can go too," I offered.

"No, you stay here. It will require lots of standing and you still need plenty of rest on your leg. You shouldn't stand up too long. We will be back in a while," Lien Hua replied. I knew she was right, but it would feel weird with me being alone here in this village. I hardly know anyone here.

"But…," I began but Ren Shu interrupted me.

"I know you want to help, but we got it. Your grandma is a big help there. If you do not want to rest, then perhaps you can explore some more. Go make some new friends or check out the village market. Okay?" Ren Shu said to me. _Make new friends? The only friend I had was Mako. Man, why is everything tracing back to him? I hate him so much!_

"Okay," I replied. They smiled and began leaving. "Wait!" Lien Hua and Ren Shu turned back to me. "Is it really okay to call you guys grandma and grandpa?" They both chuckled.

"Of course, Dani! It would make us very happy," Lien Hua replied. I don't know why, but I felt my heart beating fast in a way I've never felt before. It made me feel warm and fuzzy deep inside. I smiled in happiness.

"Okay then, grandmama. Come back safely. You too grandpapa. I'll be waiting," I replied and they continued on. I watched them go until they were gone. I turned to the houses down the road. _What to do… Stay here or go explore? I think I'd rather explore._

I went back inside the house and got switched into a loose purple t shirt with a pocket on the right chest tucked in a black skinny jean with my purple converse.

I walked down the road slowly, carefully examining every detail I could find from the village. Still, people stared at me, but never made any rude comments. I noticed there were always birds around the 7th house on the other side. The couple there were also elderly, and they were feeding the birds. The elderly lady turned to me, noticing that I was staring. She smiled out to me, and I smiled back as well. _The villagers are really kind. It's so different from city life. I can get used to living here._ I smiled to myself and continued down the road…

Huo Hundan paced back and forth across the road while his friends watched him in amusement. He was angry at Xiaolong Taoren for making a fool out of him. His friends, Bell Saphir, Xiahou Li, Yue Jun Jie, and Zhong Kai were snickering.

"Yo, Hundan, are you really gonna stay mad at that chick for grabbing your hot spot? Don't you think you should sit down already? You've been walking for a few hours already," Jun Jie asked his friend.

"No! I refuse to sit down! Not until I get revenge on Taoren! Ew! How do I even remember her name? Ew! No one makes a fool of me and gets away with it! No one! So, until you think of a plan for me to get revenge, do not attempt to tell me to sit down, capisce?!" Hundan yelled angrily as Li, Saphir, and Jun Jie got scared for a second there. Kai chuckled and began laughing at his friend some more.

"Hundan, you have gone completely insane. I think you're just mad because you submitted to a girl," Kai told his friend. Hundan was inhaling and exhaling from his mouth angrily with a pissed off face.

"Shut up, Kai. It's not even funny," Hundan told him.

"Well, maybe you don't have to get revenge on Taoren," Li said.

"What do you mean? Hundan's angry at her," Saphir questioned.

"I mean, maybe all he has to do is pick on someone small. A small girl, that is. That way, he can feel dominant again," Li suggested and an evil smile formed across Hundan's lip. _I know that look on his face. Li, you idiot._

"Li, you're such an idiot at times. Why would you encourage him to go pick on someone else?" Kai asked. Xiahou Li shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, we have to get him to calm down, right? Besides, he can always apologize later. That is how he functions, right? Bully first, apologize later?" Li replied and Jun Jie laughed. Bell Saphir joined him as well. Kai shook his head.

Xiahou Li was right. Huo Hundan usually picks on people, but after a while, he intends to apologize to them later.

"That's a brilliant idea, Li! You're a genius!" Hundan exclaimed, feeling excited. He decided that he was going to redeem himself by picking on someone small. "Now that I think about it, she was tall too. We need to find someone short."

"So, who's it gonna be, Hundan?" Jun Jie asked. Huo Hundan scanned around for someone small. When he turned to the right, he spotted someone hard to miss.

It was a 5 feet girl with blueish grey hair with red on the left side of her hair. She was wearing an odd purple shirt with a black pant that is tight on her legs. She also wore a purple shoe. The girl was innocent looking, cute, and gorgeous. When she walked, she was limping a bit.

"Her… She's the best victim," he told his friends. They turned to her. "Follow me, I'll show you guys how to be alpha." Everyone except for Zhong Kai followed him. Kai leaned against a tree, his hands crossed together, watching them go.

"You! Who are you? Where did you come from? What race are you?" Hundan asked once he reached in front of her. She turned to him, her left eye blue and left eye greenish from the sunlight. She had nice mid-thick black brows and long lashes. He got caught in her beauty for a moment there.

"I am Danina Riyeuo. I am Chinese, just like you. And you are?" she replied. When she spoke, he saw some metal across her teeth, square shaped lavender and blue colors on each tooth. He didn't know what they were, but he didn't like it. He also didn't like that she didn't know who he was.

"I am the one who is gonna knock those metal stuff off your teeth and you better be scared," Hundan threatened, but she didn't seem scared. She was just looking at him.

"Are you trying to threaten me?" she asked.

"Do you wanna die?" Xiahou Li asked her, helping Hundan bully her out of boredom. Jun Jie smiled, trying not to laugh.

"Do you?" Danina asked Li too.

"No," he replied.

"Well that's where your chipmunk ass is going if you try to threaten me," she told Li, and his mouth dropped open in disbelief. They couldn't believe she called Xiahou Li a chipmunk!

"Yeah, well not unless we send you first," added Jun Jie, crossing his arms. Danina put her hand out for him to see.

"Not now, sideburn guy," she replied to him. Bell Saphir began laughing and she turned to him. "Don't even dare to speak, afro boy."

"Tch, this little girl thinks she is so tough. You wanna get beat up for trying to step up to us? Be smart. There's 4 of us and one of you," Hundan said, and they walked close to her. She had a mad face but it didn't look scary. It was only cute. To their surprise, Danina walked towards them as well.

"Bite me, like the others will stand a chance," she replied. Hundan tried to push her away to make her back down but when he did, she moved to the side and elbowed his stomach. For someone small such as herself, she was strong.

"Ow you little shit!" Hundan said, pain inflicted on his stomach by 5 feet Danina. He grabbed her right arm and she kind of yelled out in pain. She socked his stomach with her left hand and then pushed him with both of her hands, making him take a few steps back.

Hundan's friends knew that things were about to take a bad turn. Jun Jie, being an anti-woman hitter, tried pulling Hundan back. Hundan pulled away and tried to grab Danina. She ducked and tried to back slap him but Hundan moved away.

"Guys, guys! Stop fighting!" Xiahou Li shouted, his hands out in front of him, seeing how serious Danina and Hundan was taking it. Danina ended up back slapping his face and he twirled with his hand in the air 3 times before falling hard. Li wriggled like a maggot 4 times because his back hurt a lot. Saphir began laughing out and pulled Li away from the fight.

"Dude, Hundan, let it go! Don't hit her," Jun Jie told Hundan but Hundan didn't care. He was mad at Danina for being able to hit him. He remembered Danina yelling out in pain when he grabbed her right arm. It seems like she's already wounded. Hundan grabbed her right arm hard and she yelled out in pain again. Hundan knocked her down, making her fall on her left thigh and she yelled out in pain again, holding her thigh slightly. Danina turned to him angrily, the angriest they've seen.

"Not so strong now, are you?" Hundan said, feeling very alpha. He walked to her and squat down. "Don't be reckless and stupid..." He didn't get to finish what he said. Danina used her right leg and kicked his shoulder and he fell flat on his stomach. She sat on his back reversed and ankle locked him for 5 seconds. She got off him and he got up fast.

"You have no idea what I am capable of," she told him, "I've been easy on you. If it's a fight you want, I'll gladly fight you. I'm not scared of you or anyone here."

"I'm gonna enjoy beating your little ass!" Hundan said, going to her.

Xiaolong Taoren was walking, wondering where her little friend Dani lived. Up ahead, she saw one of Hundan's friend Li with Saphir and another guy. She didn't see Jun Jie or Hundan. _Oh boy, I smell trouble from them. I'd better go make sure they're not picking on someone else._ Taoren went behind the houses and made her way a little past them. When she peeked, she saw Hundan and Jun Jie with Dani.

"I'm gonna enjoy beating your little ass!" she heard Hundan saying to Dani, who had an angry face. Hundan began walking to Dani. _Oh no, Dani is gonna get beat by that stupid Hundan guy and his friend. Not on my watch!_ She ran to them.

Hundan was walking towards Dani when he got high jump kicked on his right side by someone and he fell on his left side. They all turned to her.

"Didn't I tell you to stop picking on people! God! You and your friends are so annoying! Don't you even try to pick on my friend Dani! You got to get through me first!" Taoren yelled at Hundan.

"Stupid!" Hundan yelled at her, getting up. He wanted to beat her up so much. Now his focus was shifted to Taoren. "I'm gonna beat you up!"

"Blah, blah, blah! Less talking, more doing!" Taoren told him and he went to her. He tried to punch her but she grabbed his hand and twisted it. She pulled him towards her and shouldered him with her right shoulder.

"Ow, stupid!" he yelled and grabbed her shoulders. Taoren grabbed his shoulders too. They tried to knock each other down and were moving in a circular motion all over the place. Finally, Taoren stomped on his shoe and collided their heads together. It made Hundan see lots of stars and he let her go. "Stupid Taoren!" Hundan gave Taoren a hard knucklehead and kicked her leg. He tried to punch her but she dodged his attack and he quickly pushed her and she fell. "Oh! What now?!"

"Ow, stupid!" She told him, getting mad. Taoren got back up and kicked him with her left leg. Hundan backed up and grabbed her leg. She tried pulling away but Hundan held her leg tight. Taoren used her right leg and kicked him on his shoulder. He let go of her leg and Taoren uppercut him under his chin, making him fall on his butt.

"Ow, stupid!" he yelled at her.

"You're stupid, stupid!" Taoren yelled back. She turned to Jun Jie and gave him a hard knucklehead. He held his head.

"Ow, what the hell was that for?!" Jun Jie said madly.

"That's for letting your stupid friend pick on Dani! You best keep him away from Dani or next time I will not spare him!" Taoren told Jun Jie angrily, "Now get your stupid friend, including yourself away from here!"

Jun Jie grabbed Hundan and they fled back to their other friends. When they did, their friends retreated with them as well…

 _Wow, Taoren is tough too. She stood up for me, like Mako did._ I clapped my hand in amazement. Taoren turned back to me and smiled.

"See? Told you that you might get to see me fighting. Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" Taoren asked, walking over to me. I looked at myself, seeing if I was hurt. I was hurting on my left thigh so I placed my hand on it. When I looked at it, there was a bright red color on my hand.

"I'm kind of bleeding," I told her. I showed my hand to her and she gasped.

"What happened? Did he stab you?" Taoren asked. I shook my head.

"No, I was already wounded before he hit me. I could beat him if I wanted to," I replied.

"Oh, I'd love to see that one day. Come on, I'll take you to the shower house that the villagers built," Taoren offered. She began walking and I walked after her, limping. She turned back and saw me limping. "Dani, what's wrong?"

"My leg is still healing. I'm still limping a bit," I told her.

"Hundan still fought you even though you were already hurt? What an asshole! He makes me so mad! Let me help you," Taoren replied. She came to me and helped me walk over to the shower house.

When we arrived, the shower house was bigger than most houses. We walked inside and it was a room filled with 15 curtains. _Wow, this is the closest thing to modern that I've seen here. It's made quite nicely._

"Welcome to the shower house! Go ahead and go into any open one. I'll be waiting for you outside, okay?" Taoren told me. I nodded and thanked her. She left the house and I was by myself. I looked around, wondering which one I should go into.

I randomly walked into the third curtain on the left side and closed it after I went inside. Looking down, I saw what looked to be a bar soap. _Someone's soap. They must have left it here by accident._ I moved it over to the side and began taking off my clothes…

Zhu Zhou was walking home, carrying his towel over his shoulders. He had just finished showering from the shower house.

Zhu Zhou stood 5 feet and 6 inches. He has messy, yet smooth shoulder length jet-black hair. His hair is pulled back into a low ponytail while his bangs frame around his face except for a few strands covering the right side of his face close to his right eye. The strands have dark green highlights. Zhou has narrow chestnut-brown eyes. His body is lean, yet slender with broad shoulders, slightly longer arms and legs, and a milky white skin tone. His face is also shaped like an inverted triangle, has connected ear lobe, thin lips and round nose.

As he was walking, he noticed he forgot his soap. He stopped walking. _God damn it! Why do I always forget something every time I go there?_ He groaned in annoyance and made his way back to the shower house.

When he arrived, he saw a girl on a tree, putting a baby bird back inside it's nest. She didn't notice her, but he thought it was odd of her to do that. Nevertheless, he walked inside and towards the third curtain on the right side and opened it. There was nothing there. _Guess it must be the left side if it's not the right._ He walked to the third curtain to the left and opened it. Instead of seeing his soap, he saw a girl in her under garments!

The young girl had shoulder length blueish grey hair with red on her left side. Her left eye was blue and her right eye looked to be brown. She was wearing a matching sky blue bra and an underwear short. She had a small thigh gap and her body was small while her waist and down were curvy.

She turned to him, startled that he opened the curtain. Zhou's eyes widened and the girl screamed out loud. _Oh, shit! What have I got myself into?_

"You perverted perv! What the hell is wrong with you?!" she screamed, covering herself using her shirt, even though it wasn't long enough to cover her bottom.

"I…," Zhou began.

"Get out!" she screamed, pushing him. She began to punch his arm and slap it a few times. He didn't know what to say, or what to do. All he knows is that he was labeled a pervert and hated it. The girl was so red and she was crying. She began putting on her clothes as fast as she could.

"Dani, what happened? Are you okay?" he heard. He turned and saw the girl that was on the tree. Once she saw him, she made an angry face. "You peeping tom! What is wrong with you? I ought to beat you up!"

"It's not what it looks like! You're misunderstanding!" he explained.

"Whatever! You pervert! You snuck in here while I wasn't looking!" the girl said. Zhu Zhou was getting angry that they didn't believe him.

"No I didn't!" he yelled back.

"So, you were already in here as you decided to keep quiet and wait until Taoren left? You sicko! You pervert! You perverted perv!" the crying girl shouted, hitting his shoulders with both hands.

"I did not!" he yelled.

"Then you snuck in here! Obviously, if you weren't in here already, then you had to have come while I wasn't looking! That makes you even more of a pervert!" the other girl told him. His face was feeling hot and he was ready to yell out loud.

"Oh, my god! I told you! I didn't sneak in here! It's not my fault you were up the tree and didn't see me come inside! And you! I did not peek at you! I came here to get my soap!" Zhu Zhou exclaimed angrily.

"Well, me not seeing you does mean that you snuck in here! And just when I though you couldn't get any more perverted, you just had to leave your soap right inside her curtain so you can look under huh? Dani, he was trying to look at you from under there! What a sicko!" the girl concluded. Zhu Zhou put his right hand to his forehead. They were giving him a massive headache from all those accusations.

"Taoren, he peeked at me in my under garments!" Dani told her friend.

"For the last time, I did not try to peek at you!" he said, trying hard not to snap.

"Yeah, because you did peek at her! You peeked at her whole! You pervert! Now you're gonna pay for your crime you committed!" Taoren told him. She jumped up and kicked him, causing him to fly and fall into the third curtain where his soap was.

"What the hell, stupid?!" Zhou yelled angrily. Taoren grabbed Dani, and they were both running off, but Dani was also limping while she ran. Out of anger, Zhou grabbed his soap and threw it across the room, making it snap in half. Never in his whole life has anyone ever disrespected him the way they did before. "Stupid girls!"

Hundan power walked back and forth across the road once again, pissed off because he lost another fight. His friends were watching him. Kai was smirking, trying not to laugh at his friend.

"Stupid Taoren! Stupid Dani! I can't believe I got beat for the second time! how the hell am I supposed to redeem myself now?!" Hundan exclaimed, pacing back and forth.

"I did tell you not to pick on people and you didn't listen to me. Can't say I didn't try to warn you," Kai told him. Hundan was angry and he was not in the mood to get lectured.

"Do not try to lecture me, Kai! I am in no position to be yelled at right now! I'm so pissed off at them! They're girls! Guys should never lose to girls!" Hundan yelled.

"Well, maybe your heart didn't want you to hit them. You probably didn't really want to beat them up, Hundan," Saphir told him.

"Yeah, just think about it. If you really wanted to, you most likely could have beat them up, but you must have hesitated. You're the toughest guy we know. Surely you can beat anyone you set your mind to beat," Li added in. Hundan smiled and thought they were right.

"As a matter of fact, you guys are probably right. I could have beat them up if I wanted to. And right now, I'm gonna set my mind on beating them up," Hundan said, walking off to find Taoren and Dani.

"See what you did, Li? You motivated him again and he's probably gonna get his ass beat again by the both Taoren and Dani. Don't you remember Dani? She was hella tiny compared to him and she sure can hit people, considering she was wounded already," Kai told Li. Now that they thought about it, Hundan probably might get his butt kicked by both Dani and Taoren.

"We'd better make sure he doesn't beat them both up," Jun Jie told them and they went after their determined friend…

Xiaolong Taoren and I finally stopped running after a while. I didn't get to wipe the blood because of that perverted guy. We went under the shade where a large tree stood. Taoren stretched and laid on the ground. I laid next to her.

"What a day, huh?" she asked me. I nodded. It was a weird day for me. First, being in a fight with the guy, and then meeting that pervert. I wondered what was gonna happen next. Soon, we heard a voice.

"Taoren! Where the hell are you?! I'm here for a rematch! Come out of hiding this instant!" we heard. We looked at each other before sitting up. Close by, we saw the guy that we fought with nearby.

"What the hell is that guy doing here?" Taoren asked.

"I heard him saying something about a rematch and he mentioned your name," I replied. Taoren made an angry face and stood up. I stood up as well and we looked at that guy. _He sure does have a lot of nerves._

"I'm over here, Hundan! Come face me, if you dare!" Taoren shouted. Hundan turned over to us. He had a pissed off face as well and began coming over. _Stupid guy, if he wants to fight Taoren, he'll have to get through me as well._

"Stay right where you are and don't move a muscle!" Hundan yelled, coming close to us. Taoren began walking towards him as well. I stopped her and she turned to me.

"If he wants to fight you, he'll have to get through me first," I told her, walking to him. Hundan reached me and tried to walk past me. I stopped him and pushed him back. "You want to get to her, you have to get through me!"

"Step aside, you'll have your fight later! I'm gonna knock her out!" Hundan said, trying to go back to Taoren. I stopped him once again.

"Not on my watch you're not," I warned him. He made an angry face to me as well but I was already showing my angry face to him.

"Very well, then you're up first!" Hundan told me, grabbing my right arm. I felt pressure on my wound and it hurt. I am sure he knew I was wounded there now, that's why he was grabbing it. I socked his chest with my left hand and kneed his stomach with my right leg. "Ow, you little shit!" He kicked my left thigh and I fell, pain swimming all around me. I kicked his left thigh as well with my right leg and tripped him with my left leg. Hundan fell. I flipped him over to lay on his stomach and sat on his back.

"You bully! I really hate bullies like you and your friends!" I yelled to him, making the side of his face smash into dirt repeatedly. He elbowed me and I fell over. He got on top of my back and I couldn't make him get off.

"Not so strong now, are you, little Dani?!" Hundan said, trying to plunge my face into dirt. I held on to the ground, not allowing him to make my face hit the dirt.

"You will not have your way with me!" I yelled, kicking his back with my heels repeatedly. I rolled over hard and was on top of him. I got off and stood up. he stood up as well. He was close to Taoren. For some reason, I knew he was gonna go attack Taoren. He ran to Taoren like I expected, and I went after him. I jumped up and wrapped my arm around his neck.

"Get off me!" he yelled, trying to make me let go. I didn't give in to him so he ran backwards towards the tree so I could get smashed. _Oh, hell no!_ I lifted my leg out horizontally and my legs landed on the tree. I pushed forward using the tree with my legs and he ran forward before falling on his stomach. Before he completely fell, I jumped off him and landed on my foot, hurting my left leg a lot. I almost fell but Taoren grabbed me.

"Dani, you okay?" Taoren asked.

"I'm fine," I replied.

"Nice moves you got there. I think I've seen enough. Let me have some fun too," Taoren told me.

"Sure, go for it," I told her. She chuckled and turned to Hundan, who was getting up.

"Well I hope you still have some energy left to fight me. Unless, you know, you don't have any more and submit to us. Poor you, though. The bully Hundan gets taught a lesson by cute Dani here. Morale of the story, don't bully people. Have you learned your lesson yet?" Taoren asked and Hundan looked extremely angry.

"Shut up! I'm gonna beat you up!" he told her.

"You sure do talk big for a guy who got his butt kicked for the third time," Taoren replied, chuckling. Hundan yelled and ran to Taoren and she got ready to fight him. When he came, Taoren moved aside and pushed him. He turned back around and she socked his arm once and kneed his stomach. Taoren gave him a hard knucklehead as well.

"Ow, stupid!" Hundan told Taoren, grabbing her shoulders. She smiled cutely and winked at him, making his eyes widen and he let go of her, turning red. "Why the hell would you do that?!" Taoren began laughing. She winked at him again. "Stop doing that!"

"Why?" Taoren asked, and shoved him a little bit, and made an angry face. I get what she was doing, she was messing with him. Instead of fighting, she was gonna tease him into submission. I smiled. _Funny that it's actually working. He may end up submitting to her._

"Because I don't like it!" Hundan replied. Taoren kept smiling at him and he was getting redder by the second. Finally, Taoren made kissing lips and winked at him. Hundan's eyes widened and he quickly made an angry face.

"Do you like it?" asked Taoren, smiling and Hundan grabbed her shirt and pulled her close to him.

"Do you really wanna die?!" Hundan asked, his face flushed.

"Hundan, what do you think you're doing?" said someone. We all turned to where the voice came from. It came from a girl.

She stood 5 feet and 7 inches, had long brown hair with a thin lavender across the top, knotted with a bow on both sides of her head, had light green eyes, slightly pale skin, and a slender figure.

"This girl is so annoying, Mao!" Hundan told the girl. The girl crossed her arms.

"Really? So, you're trying to say that my little sister is annoying? Are you trying to get yourself beat up?" she continued. Hundan quickly let go of Taoren.

"She's your sister?!" Hundan asked Mao. Mao nodded and he seemed so confused.

"Mao, he was being me to me and my friend Dani. He tried to beat us up!" explained Taoren. Mao gave Hundan attitude.

"I guess I'm gonna have to beat you up, Hundan. You know, unless you apologize to them. You have 5 seconds," Mao told him. Hundan seemed afraid of Taoren's big sister and it was amusing to see that. Taoren and I were snickering.

"Okay, fine! I'm sorry for trying to beat you guys up. If I knew you were Mao's sister, I wouldn't have picked on you and if I knew you were Mao's sister's friend, I wouldn't have picked on you either," Hundan told Taoren and I.

"It's okay. People make mistakes all the time. You're forgiven. I only ask that you don't pick on people anymore. It's not nice," Taoren told Hundan. I see the anger in his eyes.

"Okay. We're all done here. No more picking on my little sister, you got that?" Mao told Hundan and he nodded. "Good." Mao began walking off and when she left, Hundan turned to us meanly.

"This isn't over!" he told us and walked off to his friends. Taoren and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.

"I'm always ready to fight," I told her and she laughed. We began walking down the road as well, talking and getting to know each other…

Zhu Zhou was calming down after being angry. While he was walking, he spotted 2 familiar faces. When he looked closely, it was the 2 girls who hit him. _It's those 2 stupid girls again. I really hate them alright. Time to let them know what exactly happened._ He made his way to them.

"I know, he was so annoying! He needed to get beat up," he heard Dani say, before she turned and saw him. She ended up screaming again, which pissed him off again. Taoren turned to him and made an angry face.

"You pervert! Did you follow us from the shower house?!" Taoren asked him.

"No! I came here to tell you that I did not peek at you! I really did go get my soap!" Zhou explained.

"Yeah, the soap you purposely left on the ground to look at her bottom up!" Taoren yelled, "Well not on my watch you can't peek again!"

"I wasn't trying to! Why would I look at her anyways? There's nothing to look at! She's just an odd-looking girl! You look like you don't even belong here, you mythical creature!" Zhu Zhou snapped. Dani made such a cute, angry face.

"I am not a mythical creature!" Dani yelled, stomping her right leg on the ground.

"Yes, you are!" Zhu Zhou replied.

"No!" she yelled.

"Yeah you are! How do you like being accused of being something? Huh? If you don't like, don't be accusing me of being a pervert! As long as you say I'm a pervert, you're a mythical creature!" he told her. Dani inhaled and exhaled deeply through her nose. Unexpectedly, she punched his cheek hard and made him fall. His mouth opened in disbelief.

"Stupid! I don't like you!" Dani yelled.

"And you think I like you?! You are so annoying and stupid!" yelled Zhu Zhou angrily. He got up from the ground and looked at them both.

"Don't yell at her, stupid!" Taren yelled at him.

"Shut up!" he told her.

"You!" she replied.

"You!" he said, as Taoren kicked him and made him fall again. He fell on his butt. "Ow, stupid!"

"You're stupid!" Dani yelled.

"You, stupid!" he told Dani.

"No, you!" she replied. Zhu Zhou really hated Taoren and Dani. He couldn't stand being where they were anymore. He got up and walked off angrily…

"Stupid guy! I don't like him! He called me a mythical creature! It's so stupid!" I told Taoren and she agreed. We continued walking and talking, getting to know one another.

Later when I came back, Lien Hua and Ren Shu were already home. They turned when I came back.

"You're back, Dani. Are you hungry?" Lien Hua asked. To be honest, I was feeling hungry. She gave me some food and I thanked her. She made some stir fry eggplant.

"Did you have fun today?" Ren Shu asked. I thought about today and how I met Hundan, the bully and his friends. I also met Taoren's older sister and the pervert guy. It really was an interesting day.

"I did. Today was interesting," I replied. They were happy for me. I didn't want to tell them about the fighting that happened because I didn't want them to worry.

When it was time to sleep, I couldn't really sleep because I was thinking too much. I hated where I came from, but for some reason, I was missing it. Maybe I was feeling a bit home sick, even though I didn't really have a home. A part of me was also hoping that this place will be better and not as crazy. As time went on, I eventually grew tired and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 3 Another Friendly Face

Lately, I have been walking better each day that passes by, although I'm still limping. Today, I was feeling very happy but I don't know why. It's probably because everything has been great lately.

Lien Hua and Ren Shu were packing, getting ready to go to their garden. I was already awake, doing nothing except sitting on my bed. I watched them pack, both pacing back and forth across the house, gathering what they needed.

"Do you guys think I can go with you this time? My leg doesn't hurt as much anymore, and I promise I won't slow you down," I asked, standing up. They turned to me.

"You don't want to rest?" Ren Shu asked. I shook my head.

"All I've been doing is resting. I want to do something, not nothing. Can I?" I continued, hoping they would allow me to go as well. They thought for a bit.

"Alright, you can come not to do the work, but to stay there with us. Okay? We don't want you standing up for too long," Lien Hua replied. I smiled and a rush of happiness swelled over me. I nodded and put my converse shoes on.

Today I decided to put on an elastic white short made of silk with large pockets on the side. The bottom part is elastic as well and the sides have tiny bows that were purple. The short went up to my mid thighs. My shirt was a light green t shirt and it was tucked inside the short.

When we left the house and began walking, I spotted Taoren walking ahead. She is my first female friend I ever had. _She is so nice. We didn't really know each other, but she was willing to stand up for me against stupid Hundan and his friends. That perverted perv too._

"Taoren!" I shouted loud enough for her to head. She turned to me and I waved hello to her. She smiled and waved back before running over to us.

"Dani! My cute little friend! Where are you headed?" she asked, giving me a hug. It caught me by surprise and took me a short while to hug her back. Her hug made me feel happy inside, I don't know why. She turned to Lien Hua and Ren Shu. "Hello, Lien Hua. Hello Ren Shu." They smiled at her.

"I'm going with them to their garden," I explained.

"Ooh, can I tag along?" she asked. I turned to Lien Hua and Ren Shu. They smiled and nodded. I smiled and turned to her.

"Of course. It'll be more fun if you came along," I replied. Taoren held my arm and we continued walking to the garden.

Once we arrived, Lien Hua and Ren Shu had us sit down in their resting area not too far from where they were gardening. For the meantime, Taoren and I were messing around for fun.

"Do you want to play rock, paper, scissors?" I asked. Taoren's left brow narrowed down and she gave out a confused face to me. _Oh, I completely forgot. This is the ancient times, of course they wouldn't know what that is. Maybe I can teach her, since it's very simple._ "Or do you want to learn to play it? It's very easy!" A smile formed across her lips.

"Okay! I like learning new things! Show me how to play it!" Taoren replied cheerfully. I smiled too. _This'll be fun! Doing rock, paper, scissors with Taoren._

"Alright, it's simple. You use either your right hand or your left. All you're doing is 3 things, rock, paper, or scissor. If you want to do a rock, you just make a fist. For paper, you simply show out your palm. For scissor, you keep your index and middle finger up while the other 3 is kept like a fist. Do you understand it?" I explained. Her eyes were filled with interest.

"Yeah I do. So how do you know if you win the game?" she asked.

"Oh, just remember that rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock. Okay?" I replied. Taoren giggled with excitement and nodded her head.

"Okay, I think I remember. Let's play it!" she exclaimed. I smiled and we put our hands in front of each other.

"Here we go! Rock, paper, scissors!" I shouted, each time while saying those 3 I bobbed my hand up and down, and made a fist in my hand. Taoren didn't follow along so she made a scissor.

"Haha I beat you!" she laughed. I began laughing a lot because I forgot to tell her that we had to do it at the same time. "What? Did I mess up?" I shook my head and giggled.

"No, but I forgot to tell you that we have to do it at the same time. Of course, whoever goes second will always win," I told her, and she began laughing too.

"Oh, okay! That makes more sense. Try again?" she asked and I nodded.

"One more thing, we both have to say 'rock, paper, scissors' together too," I let her know too. It seemed like Taoren understood. We both put our right hand out.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" Taoren and I shouted, each showing our palms to one another. We laughed and got ready to play again. "Rock, paper, scissors!" Taoren made a fist but kept her index and middle finger up while I made a fist in my hand.

'I won!" I said, laughing. Taoren was laughing with me too.

"Dani! Taoren!" we heard Lien Hua calling. We stopped laughing and left the resting place. The both of us went to where Lien Hua and Ren Shu were at.

"Yes?" I replied. Lien Hua was holding a bucket in her hand.

"Can I bother you two to get some waters? The one that we use to garden? I'm sure now where it is, right Taoren?" Lien Hua asked.

"Yes, of course I remember. Let's go, Dani," Taoren said, and I took the bucket from Lien Hua.

"We'll be back in a little bit then," I replied to Lien Hua. She smiled and Taoren and I began walking the way that Taoren led.

"Hey Dani, have you considered working in the capital? The carriage that is picking up the people who want to work is coming soon," Taoren told me. _Working here? I have not even thought about working while in the ancient times._

"Um… I don't know. I didn't even know that people worked at times like this. What kind of jobs are there?" I asked. Taoren's eyes grew wide with shock.

"You don't?! Everyone knows that people can work! I don't exactly know which work there is, but I plan to go. You should too," Taoren continued.

"I don't know… We'll see if I decide to or not," I replied.

"So, I was just wondering, how did you end up living with Lien Hua and Ren Shu? Not that it's any of my business but my curiosity strikes," questioned Taoren as we were walking. I thought about how I ended up here and it ached my heart.

"It's complicated…," I began, trailing off for a while. She turned to me.

"You don't have to tell me yet, if you're not ready. I don't want to force you," she told me, but I shook my head. _Taoren's my first friend here. She must be curious where I'm from. Hopefully nothing changes._

"No, it's okay. You have every right to know. I can understand your curiosity. So, long story short, I'm not really from here, like from China or from this year," I began, and she seemed lost, "I know, it's weird and I sound like a complete idiot right now, but it's true. Put it this way, I was getting pursued by bad guys and I jumped off the cliff. When I woke up, here I was. Heck, I didn't even know that I went back in time, nor do I really understand why or how I am here. I should be dead but I'm not. Or maybe I am and this is but a dream," I told Taoren sincerely, looking down. Taoren wrapped her left hand around my shoulder.

"Hey, you're here aren't you? I can touch you so you're not a ghost. I know that I'm alive and if I can touch you, you're alive. I think you being… From the future is actually the coolest thing I ever heard in my 15 years of living. If it makes you feel better being here, personally, I think you being here had made life more interesting for me. Life was always dull and boring until you showed up. I mean, I got to beat up Hundan and hit that pervert, but the best thing is that I made a friend who is super kick ass but at the same time so sweet and cute. I mean, I have friends here and there, but it's different with you. I have a good feeling that we're gonna be great friends," Taoren told me.

It really touched my soul hearing her say that to me. Never in my whole life has any female ever told me that before, and it made me emotional.

Tears swelled up my eyes and dropped down. Before I knew it, I began crying softly. Taoren turned to me and saw me crying. She topped walking and got in front of me.

"Dani… What's wrong? Did I say something to upset you?" Taoren asked, with worry in her tone. I chuckled and shook my head.

"No… It's just that it really touched my soul when you told me that. I never had any female friends and to hear you say that made me really happy. I'm crying out of happiness only," I replied, and sighed before smiling and hugging me. I hugged her too.

"You are too cute, Dani. We're gonna be great friends! Don't disappear back into your time, okay?" Taoren told me. I nodded.

"I'll try to stay here for the rest of my life," I told her. I wiped my tears away and we continued walking side by side and arm in arm to where Lien Hua requested us to go…

Huo Hundan and his friends, Bell Saphir, Yue Jun Jie, Xiahou Li, and Zhong Kai were taking a stroll through the garden area where people were farming. Hundan was still upset at Danina and Taoren for beating him up and making him look bad. His arms were crossed on his chest and his lips arched up towards his nose and his brows arched down.

"I can't believe you're still mad, Hundan. Why?" Li asked his angry friend.

"I… Hate… Them…," Hundan replied, his voice very grouchy. Kai, Li, Jun Jie, and Saphir laughed. They have never seen Hundan so grouchy before.

"Well, Dani and Taoren sure did make an impact on him, huh? Why don't you just go make amends with the 2 girls? I'm sure they'll forgive you for being mean to them. Don't you always apologize to your victims?" Jun Jie told Hundan.

"Yeah, the only difference is that Hundan became their victim instead. He ended up getting beat up by 2 girls that were smaller than him!" laughed Saphir.

"Which is why you don't pick on people small. Haven't you heard not to mess with the little ones? They're the feistiest ones," Kai added in. Hundan rolled his eyes. _They haven't even got hit by that stupid little Dani girl. Her strength is beyond her height._

"Well that's because you guys haven't got hit by that Dani girl before. She's no ordinary one. I don't know. She's strong for her looks and height. And frankly, that Taoren girl just got lucky. They both did," Hundan commented. Li recalled getting slapped once by Dani.

"Oh yeah, Dani was really strong! Did you guys remember when she slapped me? The force on her hand to my cheek sent me twirling and made me fall!" Li explained. The thought of Li twirling that day made Hundan laugh.

"I thought you did that for show!" Jun Jie laughed.

"No! I really did do that from her slap!" Li said, laughing. Hundan was smiling when he heard 2 familiar voices close by. He turned to the river down the rocky path they were walking.

"Dani, when we go back, can we play rock, paper, scissors again? It was so fun!" a girl said.

"Of course, Taoren! Why not? I can teach you other fun games to play!" another said. Hundan slowly turned to the voices and spotted Taoren and Dani getting water from a bucket. _Those 2 again… Maybe I can get revenge today._

"Look, it's the 2 stupid girls. I guess today is my lucky day for vengeance," Hundan told his friends. The rest turned and saw Dani and Taoren begin to walk towards them. Zhong Kai shook his head. _He never listens._

"What are you gonna do? I think you should sneak up on them from that tree right there," Saphir suggested and Hundan thought it was a great idea.

"Good idea! Those 2 will never suspect it!" Hundan said, quickly running and climbing the tree. _They will never be able to spot me from here!_

"Let's surprise attack them!" Saphir said, running and hiding behind the giant rock close by. _Oh, this'll be fun!_

"Do we really have to?" Kai said boredly.

"Oh, come on, Kai! It'll be fun!" Li persuaded. Li ran to the tall grass and ducked down. _Good thing I'm small and they won't see me here._

"Guess we have no choice, huh Kai?" Jun Jie said, and quickly climbed on the other tree. _I guess it doesn't hurt to play along._ Kai sighed and walked to the bushes and layed down. _This is so pathetic and stupid. They are not gonna fool anyone._ They waited for Danina and Taoren to come to them…

While I walked with Taoren, I was examining the area. I turned to a pretty tree with rich, green leaves. _What a beautiful tree! It's so healthy! Wait, is that someone's leg? It's definitely someone's leg!_ I stopped walking and looked around more carefully. On the other side of the path, there stood another tree, and I saw someone's foot nearly sticking out. _What is this? Is someone trying to sneak up on us?_ I looked around and over by the grass, someone's hair was sticking out already. When I shifted my eyes, I saw someone's legs sticking out from behind the bush. _The thought! Someone IS trying to sneak on us! Well too bad I saw them already!_ I saw a large grey rock but in the middle, there was something black that was circular. It looked like an afro. After seeing the afro, I realized it must be Hundan and his minions. _Those annoying boys! I normally would happily beat them up but I still need to bring the water to Lien Hua. I guess this time I can play it safe._

As we were walking, the boy from the tall grass popped right out in front of us.

"Prepare for trouble!" he shouted with a cute, angry face. Taoren and I didn't flinch though. We turned to each other.

"Make it double," said another voice calmly from behind. We turned and it was another boy who had jumped down from one of the 2 trees. He was smiling in a handsome way. _This is so stupid!_ The afro from behind the rock jumps in the air, as we saw Hundan's friend. He somersaulted in the air, landing in front of the rock.

"To help Hundan get his way with the 2 of you!" he shouted passionately, raising his left fist in the air. It became all quiet, only the sound of the winds playing in our ears.

"Um?" Taoren murmured, being confused. The boy who popped out from the grass stopped making an angry face and turned to the bushes.

"Kai!" he shouted. From behind the bushes, we heard someone sigh and the bushes began rustling. The boy they called "Kai" got up and began walking to us.

"This is pointless. What's he gonna do?" he said, seeming bored. From behind, someone touched me and Taoren's back once. _This is so stupid! They're all making rhymes with their lines each time they popped out._

"Boo!" shouted a voice. I knew that voice. It was stupid Hundan and the thought that it was him made me angry. _How dare Hundan and his minions try to scare us? He's really gonna pay now!_ I turned to him and splashed all the water in the bucket on him. He became soaking wet. He too made an angry face. Taoren began laughing a lot.

"Shut up, stupid Taoren! It's not even funny!" Hundan shouted.

"Don't tell her to shut up, stupid! This is all your fault! Now I have to walk and get some more water!" I shouted angrily.

"You shut up!" the afro haired guy told me.

"You shut up, microphone!" I yelled back.

"Microphone?!" the smallest guy asked. Someone snickers, and we turn. It was Kai who was snickering. He inhaled, then exhaled as he stopped laughing but he still had a smile on his face.

"What's a microphone?" asked the guy who said, "make it double" and I turned to him. I completely forgot that they wouldn't know what a microphone is.

"A microphone is him!" I yelled, pointing to the afro haired man. I was sure his name was Saphir Bell or something like that. The smallest one is Li, the handsome one is Jun Jie, and the one that seems the most mature is Kai. They were Hundan's minions.

"Shut up, Dani!" Hundan told me.

"You!" Taoren replied to him.

"Shut up, I wasn't talking to you!" he told Taoren.

"You shut up!" I replied to him.

"You want me to tell Mao on you?! If not then you best shut up and go away!" Taoren told him. I saw the fear in his eyes, even when he was giving Taoren and I dirty looks.

"Whatever! I'm not leaving because I'm scared. I'm only leaving because I have other stuff to do!" Hundan yelled, walking off as his friends followed behind. Taoren and I watched them leave.

"Better be scared for he knows what's good for him," I told Taoren and she laughed. We walked down to the river once again and I swooped up plenty of water with the bucket. It was heavy, but I could manage. I felt that I should carry it, since I live with Lien Hua and Ren Shu. We made our way back up and headed to Lien Hua and Ren Shu.

"Here's your water you asked for," I told Lien Hua, handing the bucket to her. she took it.

"Thank you, Dani and Taoren," she thanked. She began pouring some on their plants while Taoren and I walked back to sit down.

"Hey, can we play that rock, paper, scissors game again?" Taoren asked and I nodded.

"Okay!" I replied. We put our right hands out in front of us.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" we shouted.

When we went back home, Taoren had to leave back to her house so I was with Lien Hua and Ren Shu by myself. Lien Hua was going to cook and I offered to help her. We chopped up some raw pork that Ren Shu bought from the market. Lien Hua began looking for something.

"Hmm… Now where did I put that cabbage?" Lien Hua muttered to herself. I turned to her. _I wonder what happened? Did she forget it?_

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It seems I forgot the cabbage I was going to cook with the pork. I may have to go back and get it," Lien Hua told me.

"I can go. You can get started on cooking. I promise I won't take long," I said.

"I don't know… Your leg hasn't healed completely yet," Lien Hua replied, being worried.

"I think Dani will be fine. It's not that far away. She should get as much exercise on her leg, but not overwork herself. Don't be gone too long, okay?" Ren Shu said. I smiled.

"Okay! I promise I will be quick," I replied and left.

I began walking towards their garden. The wind was blowing gently, and the trees swayed left to right. _This is so nice. I can finally enjoy the breeze and feel at peace._ I held out my hands vertically and closed my eyes while smiling and walking. I inhaled, then exhaled, smelling the fresh scent of soil and grass. I opened my eyes and looked at the blue sky with white puffy clouds as birds soared high in the sky. I put my hands back down and continued along the trail.

When I arrived at their farm, I saw the cabbage sitting on their resting place. I giggled to myself. _Lien Hua is funny. She forgot it here._ I walked to it and grabbed the cabbage with my left hand. It was a cute circle shaped cabbage. _How cute. Okay, now to get going before Lien Hua and Ren Shu worry about me._

I began walking on the trail back home. As I as walking, I couldn't help but feel like someone was following me. I stopped walking and turned. There was no one. _What the heck? I think I am tripping now._ I turned back on began walking again. This time, I swore I heard someone else's foot tapping alongside with mine from behind. I quickly turned around and didn't see anyone. I knew there must be someone following me, but slick enough to hide just right before I turn to see them. I turned back and there was a man in front of me. It caught me off guard so I ended up screaming.

"Ahh!" I screamed, taking a few steps back, bumping into someone too. I turned and there was also another man there. "What do you guys want? I'm in a rush to get back home!" They came closer to me.

"Your cabbage… Give it to us," the man in front of me said. He was filthy looking and skinny like he was starving. _They want the cabbage?_

"No way! I need it!" I replied. I heard the sound of a blade being taken out. I turned to the man behind me. He too was filthy and skinny. He was holding a knife in his right hand. My brows arched down meanly.

"Give it up or I will kill you right here on this spot," he warned. I wasn't scared though. I've been through tougher situations before. This was nothing. I shook my head.

"I will not give it up! I am not afraid of you," I told him. He swung the knife at me and I ducked and the other man hugged my body from behind. I was still holding the cabbage and I struggled to free myself. The man with the knife came close to me and I used my right leg to kick the knife away from his hand. I swung my head back and it hit the man holding me on his face.

"You little shit!" he yelled, grabbing my arms. He unknowingly grabbed my wound and pain rose from my right arm. I yelled out in pain and the other man tried grabbing the cabbage away from me. I shook the man off my shoulders and back kicked him, making him walk backwards. The man was still trying to steal Lien Hua's cabbage but I held on to it.

"Give it to me!" the man shouted.

"No! Let go! It's not yours!" I yelled, holding on to the cabbage as tight as I could. The other man grabbed a hold of the cabbage too and began to try helping his accomplice snatch it away from me. _I can't let them take it away! I won't let!_ I was about to knee the man doing tug a war with me until someone pulled him away…

Marc Rodia was walking along the trail back to his village. He went on a 3 day journey to visit a meditation master. He stood 5 feet and10 inches. He had Short, messy, dark brown hair, mid-thick eyebrows, dark brown eyes, light-tan skin, small mouth, clean face with a small cheek, a defined jawline, naturally stern but expressionless face, and a toned, muscular body. Marc was on his way back home when he heard people yelling. _What is going on?_ He went to see what was going on.

There he saw a girl and 2 guys fighting for a cabbage. He recognized the 2 men. They were thieves who steal from other people for their own personal gain. _Those 2 again. I am sick of see them try to snatch innocent people's stuff._

"Give it to us!" they shouted to the girl.

"No! Let go! It's not yours!" she shouted meanly, but it was only cute. She had bluish grey hair, which he found odd but nevertheless, he went over to them. He saw one of the was about to trip her. He pulled that guy away and picked him up. Then he lowered him and set his left leg into a 90 degree angle and made his knee whack the man's back. Marc let him go and he rolled onto the floor.

"Ow, what the hell? You wanna die?" the man shouted to him, getting up quickly. _These 2 really have no shame in what they do. Perhaps I have no choice but to teach them a lesson._ Marc rose his hand in a circular motion vertically, slowly breathing and made praying hands. He was getting his chi ready to attack them.

"You 2 give me no choice but to teach you a lesson in stealing. Not just that, but also for attempting to hit women. Do you have no shame in your life? Have you 2 gone so far below that you have no guilt in what you do?" Marc asked.

"Silence! You shall face the wrath of the scorpion brothers!" he yelled, running to attack him. Marc smiled. _Scorpion brothers? That name is too good for them, considering how starving they look._ When he came close and swung at Marc, he grabbed the man's fist and twisted it backwards. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"You dare?!" the other man yelled. He charged at Marc and tried to uppercut him, but his hand did not reach Marc's face. Marc swung and gave the man a good, hard punch, causing him to fall and roll 4 times. He turned to the man whom was still held by him.

"Consider this a warning. I better not see you 2 doing despicable acts such as thieving off others anymore, you got that?" Marc warned, his brows arched downwards, giving off an intimidating look to him. The man nodded his head.

"Okay! We won't do it anymore!" he shouted. Marc let him go with a hard shove and he and his friend ran off and disappeared. Once they were gone, he turned back to the girl, who was looking at him. He walked to her, his intimidating face becoming calm and normal again…

"Are you alright?" the stranger asked me. I nodded. He had Short, messy, dark brown hair, mid-thick eyebrows, dark brown eyes, light-tan skin, small mouth, clean face with a small cheek, a defined jawline, naturally stern but expressionless face, and a toned, muscular body. _This man just helped me out. Perhaps he is a good guy?_

"I am fine, though my cabbage isn't. I could've taken them on myself, you know," I replied to him. He managed a warm smile and I returned the smile.

"I'll take that as a thank you then. My name is Marc Rodia. Who are you? I haven't seen you around here before," he told me.

"I'm Dani. Danina Riyeuo. I guess you can say that I'm new here, and thank you for your help. I don't often get people's help anymore. It truly means a lot to me," I replied to him. He messed my hair up, the same way Mako did to me. Pain rose in my chest, but I didn't let it show that I was hurting.

"In that case, if you need any help, I'll always be there for you," Marc told me. I managed to smile.

"And if you need help, I will always be there for you," I said. We both laughed. Marc took out a cabbage from his bag he was carrying and made my right hand hold it, surprising me. _He sure is a good guy._ "Um, why are you giving me a cabbage?"

"Yours is ruined, isn't it? I told you. If you need help, I'll be there for you," Marc said.

"But what about you? Don't you need it?" I asked. Marc shook his head.

"I'm okay. You have it. Where are you headed, Dani?" he questioned.

"I live with Lien Hua and Ren Shu," I replied.

"Ah, I see. I'm headed that direction as well. I'll walk you to your home to make sure nothing happens to you," Marc offered. I smiled and giggled. He turned to me. "What? Is there something on me?" I shook my head.

"No, it's just that you're really nice and sweet, that's all. Thank you," I replied. Marc smiled and his face flushed red. He gently scratched the back of his head with his left hand.

"T… Thanks. That's the first time anyone's told me that," Marc told me.

"Well, a good guy like you deserves to be flushed with compliments," I said, smiling. _My second friend I made. I hope we can become good friends like Taoren is a good friend to me._ Marc and I began walking to Lien Hua and Ren Shu's house…

"Alright, we're here," Dani said cheerfully to Marc. She smiled and turned to him. _She is very small. I must be 10 inches taller than her. She is very cute._

"Okay, well I hope to see you around often, Dani. Until then," Marc said to her. Dani waved goodbye to him.

"Bye, Marc. See you around," she replied and walked inside the house. Marc couldn't help but smile. He had a good feeling they would become great friends, just like him and his friend. _Okay, now to go see my friend._

Marc went to his friend's house. He knocked on the door 3 times and the door opened. It was Zhu Zhou, his best friend. Zhu Zhou was surprised to see his friend.

"Marc, you're back?" Zhou asked, giving his pal a brotherly hug. Marc hugged him back and they went inside Zhou's house "How was your trip there? Anything worth mentioning?" Marc thought about it. His trip was the same as usual.

"It's just the same as usual, but something did happen today. I was heading here and those 2 well-known thieves were trying to steal a cabbage from this innocent girl," Marc explained. _Wow, I can't believe they wanted to steal a cabbage from a girl. That is so low of them._ "I helped her out and you know what she told me? She said she could have handled them herself. She was really short and cute." _Ugh, why does that remind me of that stupid Dani girl?_

"So, was the feeling mutual? Who is she?" Zhou asked. _Why would Zhou ask such an awkward question?_ Marc blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't ask me such questions, Zhou. It'll be awkward if I see her again. Oh, her name is Dani," Marc replied. After hearing Dani's name, Zhou nearly flinched. Zhou made an angry face. _Tch, the girl Marc rescued is only that Dani? Ew! The feeling better not be mutual! I will never permit to Marc being with stupid Dani!_

"Ew, no! Marc, you best stay away from her! I do not like that girl at all! That stupid mermaid got me high jump kicked and called me a pervert!" Zhou exclaimed. Marc was so surprised at how Zhou was being after he told Zhou it was Dani. _Mermaid?_

"She's a mermaid?" Marc asked sarcastically.

"Tch, yeah! She doesn't even blend in with the rest of us! We don't know where she's really from and she hits pretty hard! She's obviously a mythical creature! I don't care, Marc! Do not talk to her or her stupid friend!" Zhou snapped. _He sure does want me to stop talking to her. Perhaps he is interested in her but doesn't want to make it obvious?_

"Zhou… Do you by any chance… Like Dani?" asked Marc out of curiosity. Zhou felt his anger rise when asked such question. _Tch, me like Dani? Never!_

"Marc, how can you ask such a disrespectful question? I will never like her! She has a bad attitude!" Zhou replied. _Whoa, I can feel the heat rising from Zhou. maybe I should switch the subject._

"Alright then, I guess I can tell you my trip now," Marc told Zhou calmly…

"So, Dani, did you have fun with Taoren coming along with us today?" Ren Shu asked, once we were finished eating.

"Yes, I did. When we went to get water, she asked me about heading to the capital to work," I told them.

"Working in the capital?" Lien Hua asked. She smiled. "I remembered when I used to work there. I was a kitchen lead maiden until I retired from working. It wasn't as pleasant, but I got by. I met Ren Shu there."

"I was a guard at that time. it was hard to see Lien Hua but we would sneak out from time to time. What did you tell Taoren?" Ren Shu asked me.

"I told her I wasn't sure if I should or not. I think she does want me to go," I replied, "What do you guys think? Should I go work there?"

"I think you should do whatever makes you happy. It'll be better for you to live in the capital than here. Since you are young, you could begin working and earn higher ranks. You could even become as high as prime minister," Lien Hua told me.

"Yeah. I think it will be a good opportunity for you to work there, not that we're trying to pressure you into working or making you think we want to get rid of you. We just want what's best for you. After everything you have been through, you can decide what you want," Ren Shu added in. _Decide what I want? I don't think working will be that tough. It's just a job, right? What's the worst that could really happen?_


	6. Chapter 4 Departure Part 1

"Okay, I think this is the last of my stuff," I told Lien Hua and Ren Shu, looking in my bag of clothes. I didn't have much, just the clothes Lien Hua kindly sewed for me, soaps, toothbrush and toothpaste made of peppermint and spearmint leaves.

I was in my original outfit again which was a purple long sleeve shirt tucked in my style ripped blue skinny jean that goes to the middle between my hip and belly. I am wearing my high top purple converse shoe, which was the only shoe I had. This time, I tied my hair into a messy bun on top of my head, leaving a few strands sticking out from the sides.

They walked me to the end of the road, where I saw a group of young people waiting for our ride. I saw Taoren and she saw me as well. She smiled and waved to me.

"Dani!" Taoren yelled and rushed over to us, "I'm so happy you're coming too! We are gonna be such great friends!"

"Yeah, it is only right for me to make my own allowance. I can't rely on Lien Hua and Ren Shu forever. I only hope to be able to send some money for them to repay their kindness," I replied. Taoren smiled. I looked around and saw stupid Hundan and his minions. When I turned to the road, I saw Marc and he was walking next to that pervert Zhou. It seemed like there was someone missing. That was when I realized I didn't see Taoren's sister Mao. "Oh, your sister's not coming?" Taoren shook her head.

"No, she's staying behind to take care of my grandparents. They're elderly and can't properly take care of themselves. Our parents are deceased so we live with them. It was either me or Mao to stay behind. She chose to stay," Taoren explained. I felt bad for her and knew how she must have felt not having parents.

"I'm sorry to hear. I don't have parents either. I don't even have siblings," I replied to her. Taoren frowned. "But it's okay, I have you. You're my family. So is Lien Hua and Ren Shu." It made her smile and give me a quick hug. We walked a little bit further from Lien Hua and Ren Shu.

"You are too cute, Dani," Taoren replied cheerfully. I smiled too. She gave out a confused look on her face, looked at the back of my head, and turned to me. "Oh, I didn't know you have black in your hair. I haven't seen it yet until now." I touched the black highlight on the back of my head in the middle.

"Oh… I almost forgot about this. I've always had it since I remembered being alive at a young age. I may have been born with it." I replied to her, "As a matter of fact, my hair was like this already."

"So pretty and cute! It really suits you," she complimented. It made my lips curve upwards into a smile.

"Thanks. I like your hair too, Taoren. It's long and beautiful," I replied and she smiled as well. From behind, we heard someone speak to us.

"Tch, even the littlest of all people want to go work. Hate to say but you'd most likely get fired shortly," Hundan told me quietly. It was only loud enough so the he, Taoren, and I could hear. I made a mad face and turned to him.

"Shut up, I know you like Taoren!" I replied loud enough for the 3 of us to hear. Hundan's face flushed red immediately and his brows arched down.

"Do not!" he told me, and quickly went back to his minions. _I bet he likes Taoren. That's why he got so embarrassed._

"Ew, Dani. Even that comment is an insult to me," Taoren said, and I began laughing a lot. I tried to stop laughing but I couldn't…

Marc and Zhou were talking when they heard someone laughing a lot. They turned and it was none other than Dani. She was laughing whole heartedly and it was very cute. Zhou couldn't help but think that it was cute. He hasn't seen that side of her before. _Hmph, she sure is enjoying herself. One would think that she is innocent and cute in nature. She could fool anyone with that smile and laugh, but she will not fool me._ He wasn't about to tell his friend what he was thinking. It was already bad enough that Marc questioned whether he liked Dani or not.

Marc smiled. Seeing Dani so happy like that made his day. _She is very charming and cute. I don't see why Zhou doesn't like her. Or maybe he does but just doesn't want to openly admit to me. Maybe I should be a good wing man for him._

"Ey Zhou, let's go to Dani and her friend," Marc suggested. _After the warning I gave him, he still wants to be her friend?! How could he?_

"Ew, no! I refuse to. I don't like them," Zhou told his friend. When he turned, Marc was already walking off to Dani and Taoren. "Marc!" His friend paid him no mind and continued walking. _Damn it, Marc! You really want her to show her true colors to you before believing me, huh?_ Zhou groaned before walking after his friend…

"Hey Dani, we meet again," a voice said to me from behind. I recognized that voice. I turned and it was Marc.

"Hi Marc! Are you heading to the capital to work as well?" I asked and he smiled.

"Yeah, I am. You are too, right?" he replied. I nodded.

"Yup. A few days ago, I didn't know about it until Taoren told me. Oh, Marc, this is Xiaolong Taoren. Taoren, this is Marc Rodia," I told them.

"Hi," they exchanged. Someone else approached us. It was Zhu Zhou, the pervert. My expression quickly changed to a mad face.

"Here to get hit again?" I asked and his brows arched down.

"Shut up, you mermaid. I'm not here for you. I'm with my friend Marc," he replied, and turned to Marc, "Why are you even here? I thought I warned you to stay away from her. She is pure evil." _That stupid Zhou is friends with Marc? I don't see how they are buddies!_

"Come on, let's be nice to each other. We're all gonna be sharing houses and quite possibly the same room. Might as well get along, right?" Marc replied.

"Speaking of which, I heard it's 4 people per room, but I don't know," Taoren added in. _4 people per room?! Oh goodness._

"I don't care who I share with, as long as it ain't the 2 of you! You guys are immature and annoying." Zhou insulted.

"Shut up, I never said I wanted to share rooms with you anyways! We stay far away from each other! It's a win-win for us all!" I yelled back, only loud enough for us to hear. Taoren agreed with me.

"Yeah! Anyways, I know you like Dani but too bad you're such a pervert! Maybe if you're nicer, I might just let you hang out with her," Taoren said and smiled. I turned to her with confusion. _What the heck? She might just let him hang out with me if he was nice?_

"Ew Taoren, not even," I told her.

"Shut up, I never said I wanted to hang out with a mermaid like you!" Zhou scolded, his face turning red. Marc chuckled softly and we all turned to him.

"I can see we will get along just fine. Our ride is just about here now. We should get going," Marc told all of us. We turned and saw 12 white horses with a big carriage. _Oh wow, horses! I've never seen one up close before!_ The horses came to a halt and a tall, muscular man came out.

The carriage is white, and spacious. It was luxurious and had small floral designs. The left side of the carriage had a window that could be opened or closed. The front of the carriage has double doors. Its wheels are made of metal and the carriage itself rose 5 inches above the ground. The horses were split into 3 groups. The first 3 groups of horses closest to the carriage had 3, the fourth group only had 2, and there was 1 in the front leading the way.

"I am Imperial Guard Pang De! Those who wish to work in the capital, come forward into the carriage! We don't have all day. Let's get a move on!" the man shouted. I saw Hundan and his minions go inside the carriage first.

"I should go say my final goodbyes," I told Taoren and Marc. They both smiled and walked on ahead a bit further with Zhou…

"She's very different. May I ask why she limps a bit when she walks?" Marc asked Taoren. Zhou was curious himself as to why Dani limps.

"She didn't tell me, but I think it's because she is injured. When I first met her, she was already limping. When she was fighting, I noticed that she was only using her right leg and left arm to hit," Taoren replied, and Marc was shocked. _Dani likes to fight? Wow, even I wouldn't know._

"She likes fighting?" he asked, and Taoren shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. She was defending herself and boy, she is badass! Zhou had to learn the hard way when he decided to peep at her when she was gonna shower," Taoren explained. Marc turned to Zhou, confused. _Whoa, am I missing something here?_

"For the last time, I did not! God, you are so stupid and annoying!" Zhou exclaimed, and walked off towards the carriage, while Taoren and Marc were laughing. Marc lightly bowed his head to Taoren.

"You must forgive Zhou for being this way. He isn't a bad guy. Let's just say he can be insensitive at times without realizing it. He doesn't open up easily to new people. Shall we go to the carriage first?" Marc asked, and Taoren nodded.

"Yeah. By the way, I don't think he's a bad guy either. I can tell by the way he is," Taoren replied and they began walking to the carriage where Zhou was standing, waiting for them. They turned back to their friend, who was saying her goodbyes…

"I can't believe it's already time for you to leave. It only seemed like yesterday when we found you barely alive," Lien Hua told me.

"Yes, and the both of you were kind enough to help me. If it were not for you guys, I think I would be dead. Thank you so much for everything the both of you have done for me. I will make sure your kindness is repaid," I told them both. Ren Shu handed me a small sack.

"Here. This is but a small start off for you. When working, you don't get your money right away so you need to have some money with you to buy the things you want," Ren Shu told me, making my left hand hold the sack. It was heavy for a small bag. _They really are too kind. They've been helping me, yet I couldn't do anything for them because of my injuries. I almost don't want to leave._ Tears filled my eyes and I hugged Ren Shu. I let out a sigh as a tear dropped. Ren Shu chuckled and hugged me back. "Silly girl, Dani. It's not the end of the world yet. You can always come visit whenever you want. We will still be here." I nodded my head and sniffed, trying not to try. I stopped hugging him.

"I'm really gonna miss you," I told him. He smiled out sadly and I went to give Lien Hua a big hug. She hugged me back. "I will miss you too. You're more of a mother to me that I wished I had. Thank you for everything. I swear the next time you see me, I will be able to walk normal and help you guys out. I will not be useless." She kindly chuckled.

"I will be waiting for your return, my child. I pray for your safety always," she replied to me. I nodded and hugged her tighter and cried softly, my chest aching. _I never knew I could feel this way. It's a different kind of hurt, kind of hard to explain._ Lien Hua was rubbing my back softly while I had my emotional breakdown.

"Last call for anyone who wishes to work in the capital!" Imperial Guard Pang De shouted.

"You should get going before they leave." I stopped hugging her and nodded. I wiped my tears away.

"Okay… Goodbye," I told them. They smiled out sadly and I turned around to begin walking towards the carriage. _I hate goodbyes, even though it's not forever. This pain in my chest isn't going away. Have I grown this attached to them that fast?_ I turned back to them once more. They waved goodbye to me and I did the same…

Marc was waiting for Dani to come to them while Zhou impatiently waited for Marc to hurry. He didn't understand why Marc still wanted to be Dani's friend. The thought that she was nice to Marc and mean to him made him angry and he didn't know why he was feeling that way either.

"Marc, let's just go in first. She can wait for her stupid mermaid friend herself," Zhou complained. _I wonder why Zhou hates Dani so much? I've never seen him this upset about anything before, especially being upset at a woman like Dani. Maybe he is trying not to make it obvious that he likes her?_ Marc chuckled to himself with that thought. "What?"

"Nothing. Just never seen you hating someone so much, that's all. Are you sure you don't like her, Zhou? You can tell me anything. I keep secrets," Marc replied, smiling. Zhou's brows arched down. _What is wrong with Marc now? Why does he keep thinking I like her when I don't?_ Zhou rolled his eyes, trying to keep the hotness on his face contained.

"For the last time, I do not like her, Marc! Maybe you like her!" Zhou replied. His heart was thumping fast but he tried not to let it show. Marc could already see that his friend was flushing, even he did too when Zhou said he liked her.

"Yeah, I do like her. She's a friend of mine. Maybe you ought to be nicer to the 2 girls, right, Taoren?" Marc asked. There was no reply, only the sound of someone sniffing and crying softly. Zhou and Marc turned and saw that Taoren was bawling her eyes out while looking straight. Marc became worried while Zhou thought Taoren was so stupid for crying out of the blue but deep inside, he felt a little sad for her.

"Why the hell are you crying?" Zhou asked, trying to hide that he cared a bit why she began crying. Taoren sniffed and wiped her tears away before turning to them.

"It's just that it was so beautiful and sad. It really got to me," Taoren explained. The 2 guys were confused.

"What was beautiful and sad?" Marc asked.

"Dani and Ren Shu and Lien Hua. They were saying their goodbyes and it was so beautiful and sad. I just got emotional from watching," Taoren continued and Marc accidentally laughed while Zhou's brows arched down. _She is so stupid! Crying from watching Dani say her goodbyes?_

"Tch, pathetic," Zhou said, turning the other way. Taoren made a mad face. _This guy. He is such a jerk! How does he expect to have any friends from acting like that? He is so rude!_ Taoren gave a kick to Zhou's butt and sent him running harshly 3 times before falling and posing like a pig.

Zhou's mouth opened in shock. He turned back to Taoren and Marc. _That stupid Taoren! Ugh! She makes me so angry!_ He got up and dusted his hands.

"You stupid Taoren!" Zhou shouted, marching off angrily inside the carriage first. Marc snickered to himself, trying to keep his laugh contained. _Poor Zhou. He must be so angry at her now._

"Last call for anyone who wishes to work in the capital!" Imperial Guard Pang De shouted. Marc and Taoren turned to each other.

"We should go in first. Dani is just behind us," Marc suggested, scared that Imperial Guard Pang De will leave without them. Taoren agreed. _Dani, you better hurry it up before he leaves._ The 2 went on ahead inside the carriage…

I reached the carriage and Pang De was next to the carriage door. He turned to me and I went inside the carriage, with him closing the door behind me. Everyone turned to me. Inside the carriage was Huo Hundan and his minions, Zhu Zhou, Marc Rodia, Xiaolong Taoren, and another guy I've never seen before.

The inside had pillows to sit on and nothing else. The inside was large and spacious. It was all white on the inside with a blue peacock painted on the left side of the wall.

"Dani!" Taoren shouted, waving for me to go to them. I walked to them and sat next to her…

Zhou was sitting next to Marc, pissed off at Taoren. When Dani came, she looked like she was crying and she looked cute. It made his heart beat fast. _What is it that I'm feeling? Come on, Zhou, keep your head straight._ He closed his eyes, inhaling, then exhaling before opening his eyes again.

 _Wow, even in the aftermath of crying, she is still beautiful and cute as ever._ Marc was staring at Dani for a little bit, enchanted by her beauty. Their eyes met, and he smiled warmly at her. Dani returned the smile too, her 2 dimples showing along with her white teeth that had some kind of metal with blue and lavender brackets on each tooth.

Zhao Ying Jie was sitting down by himself, being bored. He stood 5 feet and 9 inches. He was handsome and has light brown shoulder length hair tied into a low ponytail with pushed back bangs. His eyes were hazel and looked to be intimidating and he had slightly tanned skin with dark, thick brows. He has a muscular build and he has juicy, full lips.

When he turned, he saw a girl who stood out very well. She had blueish grey hair with red, black, and purple in her hair as well. Her eyes were heterochromia, which he found beautiful. She was smiling with her teeth, and he thought she was very beautiful and cute, but having a pretty face isn't enough to interest him.

"Hey Dani, you're so little. Have you even begun puberty?" he heard a guy ask. He was the smallest guy there. The girl he thought was cute quickly frowned angrily.

"Shut up, Li! You didn't stop wearing diapers until you were 5 years old! You be walking around, wearing that diaper of yours and looking like one of them ants from 'A Bug's Life' but too bad you was born a human!" the cute girl replied to the small guy. _Ugh, what a bad attitude, especially from a young woman! She has no respect!_ Everyone except for him began laughing at her comment.

"Tch, that's the stupidest thing I have ever heard," another guy sitting close to her said. The girl turned to him as well.

"Shut up, Zhou! I will not hesitate to beat you up again! I won't let you off easy this time, even though you're Marc's friend!" she replied. The guys around the smallest boy were laughing a lot. The man who seemed to be "Zhou" turned to them, his brows arched down.

"Shut up! Who the hell even gave you guys permission to laugh?" asked Zhou, angry.

Huo Hundan and his friends were still laughing when Dani said that Xiahou Li didn't stop wearing diapers until he was 5 years old and Zhou was mad because he thought they were laughing at him. They didn't like Zhou because of that.

"Man, shut up!" Yue Jun Jie told Zhou. _Tch, these guys are the wrong ones here and yet they dare to tell me to shut up? They must really want to get beat up! Or better yet, they must be stupid Dani's friends._

"You shut up!" Zhou replied.

"We weren't even laughing at you. You're so stupid! It's not our fault every time someone laughs, you're so insecure that you think they're laughing at you, idiot!" Hundan told Zhou. Zhou's brows arched more downwards.

"I am not insecure! You guys are the stupid one! You started everything! If you guys had just shut up and not say anything to Dani, we wouldn't even be arguing!" Zhou said. He turned to Dani. "Stupid mermaid! This is all your fault!"

"Shut up! It's your fault! Nobody told you to butt in!" Xiaolong Taoren said, defending her friend. _He is so stupid! Always wanting to argue with Dani! He must really like her in secrecy and is trying his hardest to not show._

"I know! It's so stupid," Dani agreed. Zhong Kai was closing his eyes the entire time. When he opened his eyes, it looked like Dani was looking at him and called him "stupid" so he quickly got mad. _I didn't even do anything to her and she dares call me stupid? It's war with her now!_

"Shut up, you're stupid!" Kai told Dani and she turned to him. She had mean, arched brows but it was only cute.

"You're stupid! I didn't even say anything to you yet! You minion of stupid Hundan! Despicable you!" Dani shouted, pointing at him, and Kai was very angry at Dani now. He was not Hundan's minion!

"That is so dumb!" Bell Saphir said, thinking about how stupid it was.

"Yeah, like you!" Taoren told him. _Oh goodness, all these arguments are pointless._ Marc shook his head softly, while placing his right hand on his head.

"Guys, can you all just stop arguing? This is pointless and has no meaning to it," Marc said. _Who the heck does this guy think he is, trying to play the good guy here?_

"Shut up, don't be trying to play hero here!" Hundan told Marc. Marc's calm expression quickly escalated into an angry face.

"You shut up! I'm just telling you guys to stop because all the argument is stupid! What the heck is wrong with you, always trying to stir up trouble for everyone? You low life," Marc replied.

"You're a low life!" Jun Jie told him. _Ugh, I am so sick of hearing them!_

"Will all of you just shut up?! Gosh, you're all so annoying!" Ying Jie told them all and their eyes shifted to him.

"You shut up! When the heck did you get here?" Li replied to him.

"I know! He was so quiet, like a ghost. Wooo!" Hundan said, raising his hands up and swaying it side to side, making the ghostly sounds.

"No one told you to listen," Zhou said, being mad at Ying Jie for saying he was annoying as well.

"I know, what an idiot," Jun Jie agreed.

"Who the hell are you?" Saphir asked. It was stupid for Ying Jie because they were just arguing. Now it seemed like they were all friends now.

"I am Zhao Ying Jie, brother to Zhao Zilong, the dragon of Chang Shan!" Ying Jie said passionately. Everyone looked at each other.

"Eh, never heard of him," Taoren said.

"Me neither," agreed Dani. Ying Jie was mad, because with them saying that, it seemed like they were showing disrespect to his big brother.

"You weren't even here for a month yet, of course you wouldn't know anything, you mermaid," Zhou said to her. Dani's face became a mean looking.

"Shut up, Zhou! I thought I warned you that I will beat you up, even though you are Marc's friend?!" Dani replied.

"You shut up! I'm not scared of you. If I really wanted to, I could have beaten you up already since you're so tiny and already wounded! Be thankful I haven't yet!" Zhou yelled at Dani. She had a mad face and looked at him for a couple seconds. _Yeah, you better be scared for you know what's best for your leg._

Before everyone knew it, Dani jumped on Zhou and they fell from sitting down. She turned Zhou so he would be laying down flat on his stomach. Dani sat on his back, grabbed his head and began making him hit the ground while he was trying to not hit the ground, but despite her small size, she was strong. _Stupid Dani! I have had it with you! You're really gonna pay now!_

"Get off me!" Zhou yelled. Marc was so surprised by her sudden movement. _Whoa, I can't believe she just attacked Zhou. Quite funny, I wonder if Zhou is secretly happy. Oh well, I should stop her before she does some serious damage to him._

"Do you think I am scared of you?! I am not afraid of anyone, nor will I ever be! You remember that after I show you what's up!" Dani yelled, still making him hit the ground. _Oh, she's really going at it!_

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Xiahou Li chanted, as his friends began chanting with him. Zhou knocked Dani off him using his shoulders and she fell on the ground. Zhou turned her to lay flat on her stomach and he sat on her. She began struggling to get him off but he was too heavy for her. He wrapped his arm around her neck, leaning on her, but he wasn't choking her.

"Ahh! Get off me, stupid Zhou!" she yelled. Hundan and his friends were laughing a lot at them while they were fighting.

"How do you like it, huh? You're gonna pay for what you did to me!" Zhou replied, holding onto her tight, trying to make her submit and stop fighting. She continued struggling, holding his arm. _Better not be able to lift me up! Stupid Dani!_ "Not so tough now, are you, mermaid? I will make you submit!"

"Never!" she shouted, as a sharp pain broke out from his arm where he wrapped his arm around her neck. Never in his whole life has anyone ever given him so much pain.

"Ow!" he yelled. Zhou quickly pulled his arm away from her. He looked at his arm and in the center, he had a small bite mark. Zhou opened his mouth in disbelief. He turned to her. "You bit me, you stupid mermaid!" She shouldered him and he fell off her. Dani turned him back to face down flat on his stomach. He tried to turn back but she sat on him and ankle locked his right ankle. "Get off me! you really wanna get beat up, don't you?!"

"You do!" Dani yelled back. Deep inside he didn't want to beat her up. He is not one to beat girls up. he struggled to free himself but she held his ankle tighter, and it was hurting him. Taoren began laughing.

"Shut up, stupid Taoren! It's not even funny!" Zhou yelled at her. She found it very amusing. Taoren already knew that Zhou wasn't trying his best because he didn't want to hurt Dani. _Hehe, maybe he really does like her after all._

"That's a shame, losing to a girl. Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Taoren replied, closing her eyes and moving her left index finger side to side. _I am not losing to her! She's just lucky I don't literally want to beat her up!_

"Calm down, Dani. Let's all be nice to one another, okay?" Marc said, hoping she would let go of Zhou. She still had a mad face.

"Do you promise to stop being mean?!" She asked Zhou.

"That's so stupid! You were the first to be mean!" he yelled and she twisted his ankle a bit more.

"Zhou," Marc muttered to his friend. He hoped that Zhou would just promise not to be mean so she could let go of him. No matter what happened between the 2 of them, it wasn't his business. All he knows is that they are probably going to be good friends.

"You might wanna promise her or your ankle is gonna hurt," sang Taoren, aiming to annoy Zhou because it was funny. Zhou rolled his eyes. He thought it was pointless in promising her because he disliked her a lot.

"Do you or do you not?!" asked Dani again. _Though I didn't try my best, this is humiliating! I guess it won't hurt to say, just so she'll get off me._

"Fine! I promise I'll be nice," Zhou replied.

"And do you promise to stop calling me a mermaid?!" she continued. Saphir and his friends continued laughing at them all that time.

"I promise!" Zhou told her.

"Promise what?" Dani asked.

"I promise to not call you mermaid anymore! Now get off me!" Zhou continued. The pain in his ankle faded and his back became lighter than when she was on him.

"Better submit, Zhou, for you know what's best for you," Dani warned as she sat back down next to Taoren. He rolled his eyes. _Stupid mermaid, just you wait. When the time comes, you'll pay for humiliating me…_


End file.
